We are a young Irish couple in our 30s and this was our first cruise. We sailed from Amsterdam and our itinerary consisted of Flåm, Stavanger, Kristiansand and Oslo, with two days at sea. The Konningsdam exceeded our expectations as a ship. It was very luxurious and had some beautiful features - like art pieces, plush carpets and fresh flowers. The service was akin to a 5 star hotel - all of the staff were polite and said hello whenever and wherever you met them. We had an interior stateroom and it was much more comfortable than we expected. There was lots of storage room and it didn’t feel cramped. There was a safe, a minibar, a hair dryer and plenty of towels in the room also. The room was serviced twice a day. The bathroom was small but functional - the shower was amazing! Entertainment was of a very high quality - we loved the dueling pianos, and B.B. Kings was also fun. Our favorite performance was the Planet Earth show in the World Stage but we attended most evening shows. However, after a few days we found there was a lack of variety, the performances became a bit repetitive and we started to spend more time reading and playing board games. The movies on the lido deck was a nice option, but there was a really strange selection of movies for the week. Also, it was hard to hear the movie at times. The pools and hot tubs were very clean and well maintained but a little small and overtaken by children. It would have been nice to have a hot tub space just for adults. Food onboard was always fantastic. The selection and variety in the lido deck was exceptional and maintained a very high standard, even for a buffet. The process to get food at the lido was at times a little disorganized and chaotic but the food was good. The dining hall was beautiful and very enjoyable but it was difficult to get a reservation at a reasonable time - they usually only offered 5pm or 9pm. We didn’t feel the need to try the specialty dining options during our week as there was always a good, broad selection of offerings. However, if we stayed a second week we probably would have tried Tamarind and Pinnacle Grill. Tea, coffee, water and juice were all freely available at all times in the lido deck. We didn’t purchase any of the drinks packages and think they would have worked out a bit more expensive. We didn’t do any of the organized excursions as we found them very expensive. With a little research and planning, its easy to have a similar experience at a fraction of the price - and may even be a more personalized experience! Outside of the entertainment, the other onboard activities didn’t really interest us. It seemed to be more tailored to an older, wealthy, American audience i.e. casinos, art gallery, tech info seminars, trivia nights and diamonds/jewels. We did find the Crows Nest to be a particularly special find - it was generally quiet and had some fun board games to play. It was also a lovely, relaxing and calming place to read and catch up. Embarkation and disembarkation were seamless and took less than 30minutes in each case. The days at port also offered an easy and comfortable transit - we could walk into the town center and return at any time. Overall, the ship and itinerary were perfect for first time cruisers. But for our next cruise, we will likely look for a larger ship with more varied of entertainment and enrichment tailored towards a younger demographic. Read Less

Overall an excellent ship, great service, entertainment (B.B. King!), and the food was pretty good. Loved that a cruise director wasn’t featured, the selling was minimum, and the public announcements were few. The itinerary was wonderful. The smoking area on the Lido deck and the casino need to be looked at. It’s too much and I am a smoker. The Flan RR excursion was poorly organized. The handicap issue wasn’t addressed making a mess. The Lido dining room is so bad it should be avoided. Food was ok but it’s poorly designed. The elderly have a hard time with it, backing up everyone. The cabin issue is described below. Other than the noise, the cabin and location were great. Embarkation and departure were fine. You might want to think about recording the port lectures and playing them on the TV. We enjoyed this cruise, our sixth on HAL, but the noise, and poor handling of the issue left a bad taste in our mouths. Read Less

We wanted a relaxed experience. We have cruised 30+ times, but not often on HAL. We were favorably impressed. The service was very gracious and the food delicious. Our cabin was great. We had some initial difficulty with dining time. We didn't understand that it really is important to have a nightly reservation. But all was worked out to our satisfaction and we had a great waiter, wine steward and location. Because we were in far corner on level 2, there was never a noise issue. Newer ships are always a plus. I admit that we didn't care for the decor of the ship. It was ok, but no "wow." But it was all quite comfortable, except for chairs in Tamarind which we were told would be replaced during dry dock. I also question lounge/sofa pieces in Crows Nest. ---very awkward. I do miss large expansive indoor bar/lounge area of other ships. Food was quite good and waiters alway eager to please. We tried Culinary Arts Kitchen on first night with so-so results. --would not be eager to return. Pinnacle and Tamarind were both exceptional experiences! Shorex were very pricey but quite well organized except for a fjord cruise in Flam on a boat shared with passengers from other ships, etc. We were very pleased with all other HAL offerings. We were really delighted with the Signature Experience in Amsterdam. The museum visit was great and the dinner outstanding. What a wonderful beginning for our cruise. Embarkation was flawless. I'm not sure who gets credit, HAL or cruise terminal, but it was perfect. We used self-embarkation because of 11 am flight---easily accomplished. Piano duo was very entertaining. BB Kings group was good, just wish songs weren't so long. Lincoln Center group quite accomplished. We came away feeling that our presence on Koningsdam was valued! Read Less

Nice ,new ship.balcony stateroom pretty nice,but on the small size.cramped bathroom,not well designed,difficult to sit.shower head didnt fixed well.first and secod day,steward didnt come to clean the room untill 3p.m,we went to complain and after this no problem.Molde port,I think was choosed to give expencive trips.staff in dining room pushed to order drinks,not always in good manner.But all in all nice experience,mainly because of new ,and well organized ship and crew.good port of calls,exept Molde,I think to push you expensive excursions.Super Geiranger and Bergen.embarkation and dis..well organised. Tender in Geiranger good .In dining room crew pushed you yo order drinks ,expensive.Super restaurant Tamarind!!nice experience delicious food also in dining room.In north cruises I think not to order balcony room next time.bit cold to seat.Just ocean view enough.A lot of disabled on board,somrtimes feeled like in reabilitation hospital.but its not much to do.It was world cup and they translated it at the big screen near the pool.by the way jakuzzi near the pool always occupied by children.a problem if you want to seat there Read Less

My sister and I chose this itinerary to get a feel for my ancestors' lives. My Grandma left a tiny island for Alaska when she was 16 to work in a mining camp. The similarities are remarkable, except the scenery is Alaska on steroids! And the ports, ah, the ports have been forgotten by the Diamond vendors, and chotchke shops of the Caribbean that have taken over the Alaskan ports. Norway is still run by charming Norwegians, who value tourists and care for your tourist dollars (and the VAT you leave there), which helps support their charming lifestyle. I had sailed the Konigsdam in her first season in the Mediterranean, and what an improvement! Tender lines were short, if any. Never a walk off line, and the ship was full. The only time it felt crowded was just before the Lido closed for lunch about 2:00pm, folks rushing back from shore to eat, get back a bit earlier, or plan to order room service, avoid the crush. On this 7 day, we never ate in the MDR once. It was something we planned to try. The ship has many lovely dining venues. Pinnacle Grill, as always, great. Canaletto, delicious Italian, and best value of all. Culinary Arts Center surprised us, a Tapas Menu (previously it was farm to table) and the new menu was awesome! Harry, our waiter, chose several items for us from the tapas menu, then had paella, delicious meal to share. We would have gone back again, but didn't discover it until late in the cruise. The deLibrje (?) Pop Up in Pinnacle is a once per cruise extravaganza, and should not be missed if you are a foodie. Rudi's in Sel de Mer was quite special because Rudi Sudimon was on board this cruise and it was a night to remember. He and his staff put together a 9 course meal we won't soon forget. Tamarind is so calming and peaceful, the menu is Pan Asian and the food is delicious. My mushroom allergies left many wonderful dishes out of reach, but we had a memorable meal here too. Many don't know that if it's lobster night in the MDR, it's also the same in the Lido. There was a World Cup Match on the big screen by the Lido pool, so we grabbed our lobster and watched the match with our swimsuits on! Also a memorable night. The Music is especially wonderful on the ship.Lincoln (Kennedy?) Center Stage the classical music stage plays music you know during their "recital programs." Beatles, Elton John, Radiohead (ask the grandkids).The BB King Queens Lounge is next, though most nights we run between the dueling piano bar next door to sing and there to dance. They play fun songs you know, like Earth, Wing & Fire, Bruno Mars, Pharell William's, doesn't matter if you know how to dance, everyone is out there having fun. Best BBKing band I've seen on 6 ships. John & Jordan on the Pianos are hugely talented, one sounds just like Billy Joel, the other does really high & low notes, they too pack them in every night. At least on out Norway cruise they did. The bar crew didn't mind us ordering waters or bringing drinks from next door. They were great! They have America's Test Kitchen in the Culinary Arts Center, also very well set up so all can see. There are 2 every sea day. There is a wine barrel mixing, but since I don't drink wine, and Chateau St. Michelle is 6 miles from me it never interested me. There is a very lively Scotch tasting bar, big with the Europeans, right next to the Piano Bar. I did mostly HAL excursions, which I felt were reasonable for the price, considering the price of gas, food and time involved in each. Our guides spoke English perfectly, we were given plenty of time for toilet and lunch breaks, and were never on the Read Less

This was my first cruise. We flew to Amsterdam and then met friends who had already been on the ship for a week. We sailed to Norway. First of all - Norway - how beautiful! I had never been there before and the fjords were just breathtaking. We did mostly self-guided touring including renting cars with the exception of one port where we purchased the "Waterfall and Waffle" excursion which is highly recommended. Norway is gorgeous and I will have to come back some day. The ship is huge and in excellent condition. We stayed in an excellent cabin on the Mozart Deck (deck 6). I found it to be roomy, especially with the balcony, well appointed, clean, and comfortable. My only gripe is the small bathroom with a poorly-placed toilet that normal or taller size people cannot sit on without turning sideways. The food was excellent. I enjoyed the Lido immensely. They had food items at the Lido like prime rib and crab (on certain nights). Try the bread pudding. I will probably sail HAL again just for the bread pudding! The main dining room was overrated in my opinion. The meal took 2 hours which is just too long and the portions are small. The wait staff was amazing however. The pools and hot tubs were nice. I had a nice massage at the spa on deck 9. The burger and hot dog joint was really good too. I enjoyed the Grand Dutch Cafe but the coffee was only so-so there. Overall an excellent crew, excellent ship, and great itinerary. I will definitely cruise on HAL again. Read Less

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 hard feeling leaving the ship! 1. Room Service. In general it was fine. No big complaints but it was not excellent. Few strange spots on a bed linen, few spots on bathrobe. No slippers included. Dirty windows and balcony glass. We asked steward to clean a glass surfaces but he did not make it well. 2. Embarkation. The ship departed from Amsterdam Waterland Terminal with no connection of public transport. I wish HAL could offer a free or at least very cheap transportation to the terminal but the did not. It was a huge queue for check in when we arrived. No water, no snacks were provided (sorry I still expect that little things for the price I paid). Just a huge hot hangar full of waiting people. Nobody provided us a clear instructions on what to do and how long to wait. We spent around 1 hour there. Not nice start of a journey. 3. Dining Service. Bad if not terrible. Very long waits. Breakfast or dinner takes 1 hour in average. Food is served on broken/chipped plates and cups and old dirty cutlery. One time we found a hair in the bread basket. The staff on the dining room reception does not try to get a good table for you. One time we were followed to the table for 4 in the corner even two nice tables for 2 were available just few steps next to us with a nice windows. Waiters always ask for a paid drinks and forget to offer you a free tea. They do not give you a chance for a water without ice but serving you an ice cubes. The food quality was average: during all 7 days I did not find something really tasty. They even served us a lobster tail but it was prepared in a simple and not tasty way. Starter soups were definetely terrible. 4. Entertainment is limited with a concerts. The concerts were nice. I would like to mention the BB King Blues and the classical musicians. They were awesome! My wife also enjoyed Bilboard on board where the two guys played piano and sing popular songs on requiest. Those things happen in the evening. During the day activities are limited to a "seminars" where the staff tries to sell you insole for 190 bucks or expensive watches or brilliants or strange paints. Who buys all of that? We might expect some educational program like TED or knitting courses or yoga lessons included in the cruise price. But HAL wants to earn every extra penny on you. Do not go on HAL seminars - it is brainwashing and sometimes rude sales activity (nicely named). 5. Security at gates. Rude and unwelcoming. 6. At the evening of last day crew blocked two elevators out of four just because they need to carry a luggage downstairs. Obviously it was comfortable for the stewards but not the guests. That also shows staff attitude towards the guests. 6. During the cruise we received NOTHING complimentary. No free drink, no badge or magnet, no free 10 minutes massage and no PERSONAL attitute from HAL personnel. Again we paid a lot of money for the cruise and we expected something on top of the "below average". 7. That's is funny but with that kind of service HAL automatically includes 15% service surcharge on all onboard purchased. And 13.5 dollars per person per day as a "Hotel service charge". Crazy guys! Fortunately you still can adjust the last point at the end of cruise. So we did. 8. HAL shore excursions were 5 (!!!) times expensive that you could book ashore or just travelling the same route using a local public transport! 9. Port times were inconvenient. Ship arrived early morning at 7 am in average. People wake up slamming the cabing doors with no chance for a good sleep. Ship departed at 5 pm so you basically have a very short time to explore the port. To summarize: that was our first cruise. Norway is beautiful. Cruising is fantastic thing to do on vacation but never again with a greedy HAL. Read Less

This was our 13th cruise, but first on Holland America. Most of our previous cruises have been with Princess. We selected this cruise based on the itinerary (Fjords in Norway) and starting date. i was concerned about the reputation of HAL customers as tending toward the elderly, but this was not the case with this cruise. Fellow passengers included a modest number of kids,and lots of people in the 40-60 age range. About half the passengers were American, with Dutch being the second most common. Numerous other countries were represented, but in much smaller numbers. Virtually all of the crew working in service jobs (food, housekeeping, maintenance) were Indonesian or Filipino. They seemed to work well together and appeared cheerful. The officers were mainly Dutch. The ship was very attractive and clean,with more muted colors (rather drab) than Princess. The ship's layout was good - the ship was full, but the only place where we encountered crowds was at certain times on the Lido deck. We very much enjoyed the entertainment options - they were much better than what we've had on recent Princess cruises. Food seemed generally comparable to Princess, but it should be noted that there were several times during each day when the Lido operation is completely closed. There are two places serving food near the pool during these times, but their menu is very limited and you have to wait (sometimes 15 minutes) for the food to be prepared. it was a bit of a nuisance for those spoiled by 24/7 food options. Embarkation was a mess - due to a port scheduling problem the ship sailed from a remotely located terminal. We waited an hour in a huge tent without A/C or fans, sitting on folding chairs. Some people waited longer. Disembarkation (at the Passenger Terminal Amsterdam) was very smooth. Read Less

Standing on the dock next to the towering presence of the Koningsdam I had to remind myself that this was "mid-size" ship with about 2500 passengers. At close to 1,000 feet and 100,000 tons it is hard not to think of her as a mega ship, but the relative size compared to the passenger capacity relates to an easy-going voyage. The ship feels smaller then it is! There are rarely any lines and you never really feel cramped. Our voyage to Norway meant we would get to sail in some striking fijords and we did. Cruisers should note that "scenic cruising" is combined with your port day. In other words, the path to your dock will be through a fijord-often late at night or very early in the morning. Take heart, though, sunset is after midnight and daylight will appear by 4AM! Its almost never really dark at this time of the year (June). I was most impressed with the food handling aboard, especially on the Lido deck. On board Koningsdam passengers do not help themselves at the buffet. The staff does. This reduces the possibility of spreading illness and the ship had a 97 CDC rating when I checked before the voyage which is excellent. There are deep-hand-wash stations in the Lido as well. The choices, by the way, are outstanding and my wife and I especially enjoyed the make your own salad station. This was our second voyage on the Koningsdam and if an opportunity to sail her again would arise, we would not hesitate. Read Less

My family of five and my sister-in-law's family of four decided on this cruise to Norway based upon the calendar, the excursions available and the age of the ship. Regarding the last criteria, we like to cruise on newer ships. That led us to the Konigsdam for its 7-night trip from Amsterdam to Oslo, Kristiansand, Stavanger and Flam, then back to Amsterdam. Our ages range from 18 to 58 and are all in at least "good" physical condition. For that reason, we were really looking forward to the excursions we booked through Holland America: biking in Oslo, white-water rafting in Kristiansand, the hike to Pulpit Rock (Preikstolen) in Stavanger and the Flam Railway and hiking tour in Flam. None of us had ever taken a Holland America ("HA") cruise before and we were interested to see what one would be like. Between the 9 of us, we had two Neptune suites, a regular suite and a verandah cabin. First the good: The ship is beautiful and well-designed. Everyone was very pleased with their cabins. Very comfortable and plenty of closet and storage space. The verandahs were ample and the suite bathrooms had not only shower stalls (nicely sized) but also whirlpool tubs. The latter were great to have after some rigorous hikes. The common areas were also very nice and the ship's spaces were all comfortable and accommodating. The food: Excellent. We are not "buffet" people. So, no comment on the food offerings there. The main dining room is a beautiful space on two levels. The food in the main dining room was excellent in quality and choice. Service was a little slow, however. We could not seem to do dinner in under 2 hours. This is a problem when you want to make a show or other activity. We chose open dining and, while it took some wrangling each day, we were always able to get either a table for 9 or two tables (5 and 4) right next to each other. The specialty restaurants ranged in quality. Tamarind, the Asian restaurant, had excellent service and food. It is a stand-alone restaurant that is very attractively appointed. So too is the Pinnacle Grill. Also very attractive. The food selection and quality was very good, but not great. And the service was extremely slow. Canaletto's is the Italian restaurant offering smaller plates for sharing. The food was good. But, we could not get over that it is basically a cordoned-off section of the buffet area. Accordingly, there is no intimacy or atmosphere to the restaurant whatsoever. Not good. If I am paying a premium for a specialty restaurant, it should be a stand-alone that is attractive and comfortable. This was neither. NOTE: While our experience with the specialty restaurants was mostly pleasant, reserving them was anything but. We bought a 3 specialty restaurant package in advance of the cruise (providing a $10 savings per person) for each person in our party. However, HA does not allow you to reserve the dates and times of your dinners in advance. So, when we arrived on the ship, we found that we were "assigned" dates and times without consultation. Luckily for us, our first dinner (Tamarind) was the first night at 7:00 and it worked for everyone involved. But then, we were told we had 5:15 pm dinners for the other two restaurants on dates that did not work for us. We had to spend way too much time re-arranging our dining reservations (and then confirming that they were right) for these restaurants. Had we know this, we would never have bought the packages to save a mere $10 per person. HA needs to allow those purchasing in advance to reserve their dates and times in advance. After all, they are giving HA their money in advance. So, in addition to the meager savings, they should add the perk of reserving in advance. Now, the bad: The ship is beautiful and accommodating, but anything but lively. Maybe this is HA's "thing", but we found the overall atmosphere of the ship to be boring. Our 18 through 27 year olds said the nightlife was terrible and there was really nothing for them to do past 11:00 p.m. Even we 50-somethings found the bars closed too early and the venues for dancing, drinking and gathering past 10:00 p.m. to be limited and poor. If you were not into dueling pianos or a blues/R&B club, you were out of luck. Unlike Celebrity ships we have cruised, there is no real "club" on the ship where people (of any age) can dance and drink into the later hours. Maybe that is intentional on HA's part. But, it was not for us. Moreover, the demographic of the ship was definitely "an older crowd". We figure the average age was 60+. The excursions: Far too expensive for what we got. The bike tour in Oslo was a joke. Our guide was useless and without detailed knowledge. And the route was uninspired and, at times, too congested to even ride. We feel like we got no real introduction to Oslo. The white-water rafting was a lot of fun and very exciting. But, unlike what the brochure advertised, we did not get 3 hours on the water. Rather, between getting there, being equipped and then carrying our rafts around, we maybe had 1 1/2 to 2 hours on the water. It was fun while rafting, but for $230 per person (with no lunch), it was overpriced. So too was the hiking trip to Pulpit Rock. This was a great hike: very difficult but rewarding when you ultimately arrived at the top and were privy to fantastic views. However, at $190 per person, I don't know what the money went to. Other than a bus and ferry ride and a cold sandwich, there are no guides (not even on the bus to tell you about the areas you are driving through) and we did all the hard work (the climbing). It seems the only thing you get from HA is a guarantee that the boat will not sail without you. Finally, the train/hiking excursion in Flam was also not worth the price. At $210 per person, you got a one way ride on the train and a waffle. Once the guide got off the train, he never said a word. So, as far as I can tell, HA makes a killing on this trip as my research tells me that the train ticket for the ride we took was probably between $50 and $70. Add $20 per person for the waffles and HA is pocketing more than 50% of the cost. We would never do excursions through HA again. Finally, the ugly: Embarkation. We arrived for our sailing at about 3:45 p.m. for a 5:00 p.m. departure. There was no line at that time but it still took way to long to get aboard. This is because, despite checking-in in advance online, HA had our information wrong. Our group had two suites with my wife and I as the financially responsible parties for ourselves and our two sons and my older son's fiancée. However, upon getting our embarkation materials, we found that HA had my son's fiancée as the main contact person and financially responsible party. This required wasted time "fixing" this info before boarding. And, despite addressing it at embarkation, she was still the main contact person (for dinner reservations and announcements) until we finally got the concierge in the Neptune Lounge to fix it. BTW, perhaps this was not the case earlier in the day, but when we checked-in, there was neither a dedicated line for suite guests nor for those who checked-in in advance online. Debarkation: We had Expedited Debarkation due to an early flight home on 7/1. This was supposed to mean that we could exit the ship prior regular debarkation starting at 7:30. It also meant we kept our bags with the understanding that we were responsible for getting them off the ship ourselves. However, as 7:15 came, we tried to get down to the A deck where we could depart. However, the elevators would only take you to Deck 1. When we exited the elevator, we found a hoard of other Expedited Debarkation passengers crowding the elevator lobby waiting to depart. Then, when the ship's crew finally said we could depart, it was madness. There were so many people wanting elevators that most opted instead to lug their bags DOWN THE STAIRS to the A deck. Not only was this totally disorganized but, frankly, it was dangerous. We had no real problem doing it. But, there were elderly people forced to do it too who were trying to negotiate getting down the stairs with heavy bags in very crowded conditions. I can honestly say I have not experienced anything like this on a cruise ship since a Carnival cruise I took in the early 90's. It was ridiculous. How could HA not organize this better? Whoever the person responsible for safe and orderly expedited debarkation is, that person should lose their job. All in all, Norway was great. But, Holland America would not be our choice again for this destination or, for that matter, any other. Read Less