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 - poor/limited entertainment in the theater, no ship/port information given on the TV in the stateroom, no port information/talks until the last couple of ports (I believe those were added because of complaints); The Library was off the Crow's Nest and was noisy and small compared to other ships. Unless you got to the Theater early, there was no seating available, people were sitting on the steps and standing against the walls. There were talks as we went through the Fijords which was broadcast in the Crow's Nest and a couple of other places but again, unless you got there early, there was not enough seating which left you standing and nothing was repeated on the TV so you could hear it later. I was expecting information on the par with the cruise to Antarctica and it was the polar opposite (pun).

There were days at sea when there was really nothing going on and everything except the Casino and Bar closed early in the evening. They repeated the offer to learn Wine Making, which was expensive, manly times during the cruise as though they were trying to find something to put in the daily program. We did enjoy the Culinary Arts Center and the activities there as well as the Lincoln Center music. Read more