The dates of travel, itinerary, ship. We were traveling with two others, so the dates of travel were important. The itinerary was new to us, starting in Amsterdam and ending in Rome, was just perfect. We were able to spend 3 days exploring Amsterdam, and additional 4 days in Rome. With the visit to Portland in England, the 2 stops in Portugal, and 4 stops in Spain, it made a 5 country visit over 3 weeks very convenient. Also Gibraltar was great.
The Koningsdam was a very new ship, with 4 new restaurants, and at least 2 new music venues, there was always something to do. All the entertainment was excellent, from the big room to the small stages, I really enjoyed B B King and the String Quartet. The shopping left a little to be desired, not enough variety, at reasonable prices. A tube of toothpaste was $7 dollars. The service was always top notch, as is expected on any Holland American ship.
Our room was an inside stateroom capable of sleeping 3, so it was very roomy, the shower was so nice and big it was a surprise. We had plenty of storage and closet space for the 2 of us.