With all the flight cancellations happening this Spring it was nice to drive to Vancouver BC and avoid flying. We uploaded our USA passports and Covid vaccination documents on the Arrive Canada online site as required although no Canadian official ever asked to look at our documentation. There was an awful delay when we were boarding because the Holland America employee insisted that we have our Arrive Canada site updated for the last day of the cruise. It took two hours to get from the parking lot to our stateroom. Ugh.

Before we booked we checked the CDC Covid rating for the Koningsdam (orange in May 2022) and Covid was present on our sailing. In our fully vaccinated group of five, (four vaccinations per person) one person became infected with a mild case on the last day of the seven day cruise. But even with that all five of us agreed the cruise was enjoyable.

For dining we all ate breakfast in the Lido (adequate) or the Dutch Cafe (excellent), lunches poolside and dinners were split between the MDR and the Tamarind. The food was fine and the fish preparation at each venue was outstanding. This is a high compliment as the five of us live in the Pacific NW and we regularly consume a lot of fish. Kudos to the fish chef. Although I never found out the number of passengers onboard the Lido was way too crowded at certain times so plan accordingly if you book on the Koningsdam. There were definitely fewer employees on board to serve the meals. Read more