Koningsdam Review
Snooze Cruise Aboard the Koningsdam
Rating by category
Additional details
I was excited to sail the new Holland Koningsdam on this Northern Isles and Viking Sagas itinerary. Sadly, the ship was disappointment and there were more negatives than positives on the cruise as a whole. This one ended up being tagged "the snooze cruise."
The design of this ship is large, open venues. There are no more winding hallways with charming bars and music venues. The "Billboard" is a large venue connected by an open corridor to the equally large "Lincoln Center Stage" so that one cannot be used when there is entertainment in the other. The casino is at the top of an open stairway in the corridor and noise and announcements there can easily be heard in both. "BB Kings" is an even larger area, also open to the corridor, and separated from the others only by a glass door. The net effect is that what guests see when walking through the ship are huge, sad, empty spaces, like walking through an unused auditorium.
Holland has chosen to offer only one entertainment group in each of these venues: a classical string and piano group in Lincoln Center; a piano duo in Billboard; and an R&B group in BB Kings. That might be fine for a 5 day cruise, but seeing the same entertainers night after night on a 14 night cruise was boring, to say the least.
Cabin Review
Single Oceanview Stateroom
The cabin was well appointed with a full sized glassed shower, full size bed and plenty of storage. It had a large, flat screened television, though television selections were really awful. My only complaint was that it, and all of the single occupancy cabins, are directly below the World Stage and directly above the mechanical spaces so that they can be noisy.
Port Reviews
Amsterdam
I stayed in Amsterdam after the cruise and absolutely loved it. I visited the Van Gogh Museum, did canal tours, and joined a Food Tour of the Joudan district. I enjoyed them all very much.
Invergordon (Inverness)
It is a pretty town but there is really nothing to do there if you don't take an excursion.
Alesund
The highlight of this tour was a peak overlooking the entire valley. It was just gorgeous. The city was walkable and there was a street fair going on with a food market. I enjoyed it very much.
Bergen
The dock is close in to the town so that walking was easy and it was beautiful. I particularly enjoyed the fish market and the business areas.