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. Read more