We chose this cruise because of it's port intensive itinerary, not because we were excited about traveling on the new ship. It is pricier to sail on the new kid on the block but our son and his wife had never been to the southern islands, so we were left with no choice. We are unabashedly fans of the Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam and hoped that the Koningsdam equaled or bettered the Vista class ships, but we felt that it did not.

As soon as we entered the ship, I felt that the ceilings were much lower, giving a slight claustrophobic feel. After we unpacked, we went straight up to the Retreat area where we had booked a Family Cabana, as we have for the last half dozen cruises on the NA and Eurodam. The Family Cabanas on those ship are HUGE -- they contain two double loungers, tables and chairs to seat four AND two larger chairs for relaxation. Imagine our surprise/dismay and angst when we were shown our Family Cabana and it was HALF the size (or smaller) than the ones on the Vista class ships! We were stunned. Only TWO single loungers fit inside (even though the description says FOUR LOUNGERS), along with two nice chairs and a small table in between them (think coffee table height, not dining height). There was no way that our party of four adults could actually relax and feel comfortable in this space ... certainly not the way we had on the other ships' family cabanas. PLUS, the price of the rental was the same! With a new ship like this, one would think everything would be bigger and better ... Nope. We were extremely disappointed in the cabana, but not the normal cabana experience. Our cabana stewards were excellent all week and they, too, felt badly about the sub-par cabana. The Assistant F&B Manager told us that many people who have experienced the other family cabanas complain when they see what they have been rented.

I will add my agreement to those who write about the odd angle of the toilet in the staterooms. To save a few inches of space, they have "jammed" the toilet into the room in such a way that "sidesaddle" becomes a word that is rarely used in that area! Read more