Koningsdam Review
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Additional details
We sailed on the 21 day Midnight Sun and Viking Saga cruise and chose this to try the ship and also for the itinerary. The ports of call were all great, weather was brilliant most of the time and the staff were very friendly and hard working as always. Our cabin attendants were excellent and I didn’t realise that they also look after the luggage on embarkation and disembarkation.
The barista, Caryl, in the explorations cafe in the crows nest was super excellent and always remembered our special orders, and would greet all her regular customers by name. That was fantastic. I preferred my coffee there than at the Dutch Cafe, although that is an excellent addition as an alternative cafe. On our cruise the explorations cafe closed at 8pm which was a shame as we usually enjoy coffee there in the in crows nest after dinner, so we would have to eat early on a night if that was our plan. The Dutch cafe served coffee until about 10pm and the apple cake there is excellent. It was also very busy most of the day and was a nice place to sit with coffee and cake. Try the Koningsball which is like a huge round chocolate eclair filled with cream.
Overall it was an excellent cruise, it is just the small things that have changed that are annoying. Such as happy hour is now buy one and the second drink is $2. It used to be buy one get one free, then buy one next one $1. There is no real butter in the MDR or the Pinnacle Grill. You get three swirls of something near to whipped cream. I asked the dining room steward one night and he said the chef preferred to serve this, which is butter mixed with cream then whipped. It was like putting sweet cream on your bread so we ended up asking for real butter each time, and they gladly got some. I don’t know why they would bother mucking around with real butter like that, quite a waste of time really as it doesn’t enhance the flavour and surely butter isn’t that expensive you have to mix it with other things!
Cabin Review
Large or Standard Interior Stateroom
Excellent use of space in this cabin, I4104, as it was very roomy for an inside . There was more than enough storage space for the two of us and plenty for three as it is a triple room. It had a three seater sofa for the 3rd person if you had one, we didn’t. USB charging port and American plug by the bed which was great, bedside cabinet with two drawers , and it also had an excellent flexible reading light on both sides of the very comfortable bed. There was a makeup mirror and hair dryer provided, and 2 x power points on the main desk with both USA and Europe power plug on each. Bathroom was standard however the shower was roomy lengthwise , with a foot bar and awesome water pressure. Very roomy cabin and would not hesitate to book this again.
Port Reviews
Eidfjord
Small picturesque town, lovely scenic walk around the waterfront. Did a ships excursion on a kayak in the fjord which was really good. It wasn’t as cold as I expected and it was beautiful out in the fresh air.
Amsterdam
No need to stay in the central city as hotels are very expensive. Consider staying out in Vondel Park as public transport is great and just a close really . On the 3rd Sunday of each month is a great market in the museum quarter with local crafts, excellent way to spend the morning. Great cofffe and apple cake all around Amsterdam.
Bergen
We had a rainy here this time so didn’t go out, but other visits here we really enjoyed. Easy to walk around yourself and go up the gondola for the excellent city views. Walk around the old coloured wooden buildings which is the unesco site. Also there are great food markets near the pier but be warned they do sell whale meat if that’s an issue for you.
Molde
City of roses. Nice town to walk around, lovely church and you can walk on top of the city council building rooftop for a lovely city view and gorgeous roses. We also walked up the hillside to get city views but it a steep long walk.