Koningsdam Review
Rating by category
Additional details
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.
Cabin Review
Large or Standard Interior Stateroom
We had a standard inside cabin. At 148 square feet, it was noticeably tighter than the approximately 165 square feet we typically have on Princess ships. The lack of space was most evident around the bed. There was ample storage space, but the space was scattered throughout the cabin. The closet doors (if opened) blocked the access to the bathroom and the hallway. You had to take turns passing through that area. Instead of a small chair at the desk, there was a square stool that fit completely under the desk. This stool was the only chair in the room. I think the reason it was made to fit under the desk was to allow more space near the bed. The stool was very difficult to pull out and put back, and was not very comfortable to sit on. As others have noted, the bathroom has a great, glassed-in shower - no pesky shower curtains. To make room for the shower, the toilet is installed at an odd angle, and a normal size person will find their knees sticking into the shower doorway when using the toilet. You get used to it.
The cabin was extremely quiet, with zero noise from adjacent cabins and minimal noise from the hallway. Plumbing noises could be heard in the bathroom (only). Friends in a similar inside cabin (elsewhere on deck 5) had major problems with miscellaneous plumbing and mechanical noises in their cabin. They had to sleep with earplugs. The crew acknowledged the noise, but felt it was not excessive,and (as of this writing) have offered a total compensation of $100 to our friends.