Koningsdam Reviews

The Fjords, cities and Norwegian countryside are beautiful.  This is the best of Norway on a fantastic, new ship. 

Being a new ship, the climate control in the cabin works well and the rooms are well insulated so there are few noises other than the toilet flushing.  The television could use more development.  The initial volume level is scary and the channel selection is sparse.

Calculating the sun's lowest point, elevation and direction at the time of the Vernal Equinox was the most interesting activity for me.   Experiencing the vast network of fjords of Norway was the most geographically and geologically interesting..

The piano quintet performances were outstanding entertainment.

This was our first time on Koningsdam but the third time with HollandAmerica Cruise Line.  Food quality - as expected.  Food service - poor.  Some of the food-servers have an attitude that they do not like to serve you more food  when asked.  Most of them have no smile on their faces. Lido Market cleanliness - poor.  We observed how the tables and chairs/seats are being cleaned:  one little green towel is being used to clean more than 10 table tops; all the food residues are swept from the table tops to the chairs/seats; the same towel is used to clean more than 20+chairs and seats; the same towel is used again to clean the bottom of the tables.  There is a big white bucket underneath the dirty dishes counter but contains very little water; however, we are not seeing the little green towel is being washed in the bucket.  The floor is vacummed while the passages are still eating.  We are forced to lift our feet so that our eating area can be vacuumed.  The coffer/tea/water bars are always wet. Dining room service - good.  Stateroom - bathroom is a plus; our housekeepers are keeping our stateroom clead and orderly; they are friendly and cheerful. 

Had wonderful dining room service (hats off to Eddie) and great cabin steward (DaDang was really good), Jewelry store staff was terrific (Mariana, Lavinia and Eric). Alex with the Shore Excursions desk was outstanding in helping us pick out meaningful and physically doable tours. Did not like some of the changes to cruising that Holland America and other cruise lines are making. Food was mediocre, and limited in its variety. Main stage entertainment was nothing special, although I did like the fact that they had different lounges for different types of music,

I very much enjoyed the trip itself, the boat was new and modern, the food fantastic as well as the entertainment. Staff was helpful, friendly, and attentive. Wonderful people from all over the world, although mainly the Philippines and Indonesia.

I would highly recommend this way of travel to any who enjoy the water.

We loved our cruise and this new ship is just wonderful -- we loved the clean smooth fresh lines and how neat and clean everything is from top to bottom. The "Behind the Scenes" tour that was an additional USD150 was a nice way to see what happens behind the scenes but we were a bit sad that the captain was too busy to see the entire group for it's two-day tour. Nonetheless, the seas were not too rough and the entire staff was just over the top wonderful. A trip we will certainly make again in the near future! 

All the ports we were in were all great. My favorite was Santorini. I wish we stayed there for a few more days. One day is not really enough to really explore the place.

I enjoyed the speaker who was a captain in the navy and a MD. He was very informative. 

I loved Croatia. We had an excellent guide 

I think the Greek islands that we had to tender to were beautiful 

The ship and crew were spectacular.  Each port had it's good and bad points, but the variety in this cruise is very good.  The amenities on board were very good, but not as many as I've seen on other cruises.  The only bad comment I have is in the Holland America up-sale... too many on board activities require an up-sale and purchase.  We enjoyed the SPA area and wine tastings, but the thermal pool, steam room, heated lounges, and yoga classes all came at an up-sale cost.  We really enjoyed the wine tasting and blend sessions, but these also required up-sale and cost.  Internet and cell phone access was also an up-sale.  We thoroughly  enjoyed this cruise, but we should have budgeted an additional $1,500 to completely enjoy all the ship had to offer... and Holland America should consider increasing their base room cost and providing a more all-inclusive option.

My favorite part of the cruise was going to the Islands, the Billboard piano players Sarah and Will and most of the shows.  I didn't like, my cabin location, the food, the embarkation where you were boarded by your number and sat and waited and I felt like I was living in a nursing home for 11 days!  I expected much more going on in the evening then the same two B B King and Billboard for 11 nights, early closures of lounges and eating places and I don't go in a smoke filled Casino, which was really disappointing.  This was my first Holland America Cruise as I'm a Celebrity Cruiser and I don't plan on taking Holland America again.  Very disappointed.  It would be great if I was in my 80's and 90's!  Good for those folks to be able to enjoy.

The new Koningsdam is a real gem with beautiful lines and a new contemporary look to go along with the old traditional charm.

The cabins and suites are roomy enough to make you feel at home with plenty of space to move around and storage to hold all of your clothes.

The food selections and quality were at a new high level of taste and diversity in all of the dining areas and special restaurants.

A new star on the ocean.

Our 10 days on Koningsdam in the Southern Caribbbean were wonderful.  The ship itself was sparkling new and very luxurious.  Our stateroom was lovely.  Our room stewards were terrific .  The food on the ship was excellent --- both in Lido Market and in the dining room.  We formed lasting friendships with the other couples at our table.  The evening entertainment was good as well .  Several of the shows were really top notch!!!  We appreciated the 6 ports we visited --- all new to us.  The one aspect of the cruise which took us a bit by surprise was the average age of the passengers.  There were tons of wheelchairs and walkers aboard, which we had never experienced before to that extent.  The ship was very quiet and it was definitely not a party ship.  All in all, it was an awesome time.

The new ship is absolutely beautiful and extremely comfortable but the crew really made the cruise fantastic! We could not have had pleasanter or more professional service.

Our  group of four thoroughly enjoyed the food, entertainment and amenities.

we would recommend that a mechanism be added so that the announcements could be heard in the cabins by those who want it.

The spa needs to provide larger robes for those who are larger than a size 10-12 given the clueless you serve.

The scheduling personnel at were great to work with.

Stellar ship, so new and upscale. The waitstaff for main dining were really awful. So many other cruise passengers were upset and complaining about their experience. Our first night, we didn't get our food until an Hour and 45 minutes after we sat down. Was very difficult to just get water and butter for the table. 

Whatever you do, don't pay the fee for the spa amenities.  We were so disappointed. The amazing Hydro pool that you see in the photos and the videos of the ship was only hot the first day when we decided to join and was less than lukewarm every day after for the remainder of the cruise. The massaging water jet shower also stopped working and there is never enough seating for the warm recliners. For access we paid $349 for the two of us and they wouldn't refund a penny even though half the amenities were not working or constantly had to be requested to be turned on because they would just stop like the steam room.  However overall the ship is so beautiful and the itinerary amazing that we would still go back. Next time we would just avoid main dining and the spa.  Also whatever you do do not book a room on deck 4. This is the deck where the ship employees have their lounge and bar and smoking is allowed which gets into the hallway and makes your room smell like smoke and there's increased bustle and activity from the employees at all hours which can really be annoying. This is especially true if you were staying at the front of the ship on deck 4.