We had a high expectations about our first cruise but unfortunatelly HAL did not meet them. At least we expected a "4*" smooth service, a great dining options and a quality entertainment already included in the price we paid. All those points were not met. Good thing: no disaster happened with us. We safely came back with a lot of photos in the camera. The rest was not so shiny as we expected. No ...
Just returned from the Norgewian Fjords, beautiful scenery, pictures or film cannot describe the waterfalls, picture perfect villages, or the serenity one feels. However the Kroningdam was not what I have previously experienced on a Holland American Ship. The ship was boring, no lectures, not much to do when on board. It seemed that they were always trying to sell you something. I'm not a fan ...
This was our first cruise and it was well below our expectations overall.
The rooms are great, clean and modern with good bathrooms, the crew members are excellent and very hard working, BB King club offered great shows in the evenings. Spa was relaxing if a little crowded at times. Unfortunately, this is it on the plus side.
The ship was overcrowded due to design and timing issues. The ...
We have been on other cruises before and enjoyed it, but this trip was a major disappointment for several reasons. We were super excited to try HAL and to be on a new ship, but it was not as we had planned or expected.
Positives: The ship was clean and new. The stateroom was nice and the stateroom attendants were very friendly and hospitable. The Culinary Arts Center dinner was a great ...
This was our second cruise, first was with Norwegian. We were a party of 7 (1 child).
Our expectations were high, but not all were fulfilled.
PLUS: new boat, nice staterooms, friendly staff.
About the FOOD:
- food and how to get it: you're not allowed to touch the food on the buffet yourselves. That's very good for hygienic reasons, but it creates queues and nervous guests.
- if you ...
Let me start with the lido staff were great. They worked hard to make everyone comfortable, particularly during peak hours.
I thought a brand new boat would be great. I was VERY wrong. The rooms are tiny & noisy - see below for cabin review. It was obvious that everything is not completely coordinated yet. For example, the boat was late arriving for the first day of the cruise. So instead of ...
I would like to say that I rarely write a review. I am a 40 something professional who has gone on 16 cruises just in the last 5 years. I was very excited to take this cruise as I had never gone on Holland America before and figured a brand new ship would be a great experience. I have cruised Celebrity, Princess, Windstar, and Carnival. Celebrity overall has been my favorite. Having said that I am ...
I have always loved Holland America having sailed 157 days on their ships. I was excited about the new Koningsdam but was sorely disappointed. I have sailed with six other cruise lines and this was the worst cruise I have ever been on. The ship is beautiful and the ports were interesting.
The Koningsdam did not have the Broadway type shows we had become accustomed to and overall - ...
We have been on many HAL cruises (I think 8 on HAL and about 15 overall). We took this cruise because we thought the itinerary was interesting and we wanted to experience this new ship. The itinerary was interesting but the ship was a mixed bag. It was shiny new but they have quite a few kinks that still need to be worked out and there are design features that are disappointing. The ...
I must first say that the fjords in Norway are some of the most beautiful places we have ever been. I would highly recommend a cruise to Norway to anyone. We chose this cruise because we wanted to go above the Arctic Circle, which was very interesting.
However, our experience in the Koningsdam was the worst we have ever experienced on a cruise ship. When we first got onboard, there was a ...