Rome (Civitavecchia) to Europe - River Cruise Holland America Line Koningsdam Reviews

Service was par for the course for HAL; gracious and sincere. This is a ship of a new and different kind for HAL. I missed the promenade with chairs and open, friendly walkways, my wife doesn't spend much time out on the promenade, so she didn't feel deprived. The fitness center is first-rate with lots of treadmill machines (maybe too many) and perhaps a bit shy on weight machines. We loved, ...

We were very fortunate to sail on the m.s. Koningsdam's Christening Cruise. She's the largest ship Holland America Line currently has (sister ship, Nieuw Statendam, is being built.) Décor is delightful, as she is "brightened" with much lighter colors than existing and past HAL ships. Service was in a class by itself....the HAL class. We return to this line mostly because of the outstanding ...

This was our 16th cruise, second on Hal. We chose because of the new ship of the MS Koningsdam and the christening cruise, plus we liked several of the ports as well. It was one of the most fabulous trips we have ever taken. The Koningsdam ship is stunning and well-designed (I am an Interior Designer) so I was more critical than the average person and it was an entire time of eye-candy in the ...

BACKGROUND: We are frequent, experienced travelers and have taken over 25 cruises on at least nine different lines. We booked the 20 day Christening Cruise of the Koningsdam (actually 13 day Christening and 7 day Norway) for the off-the-beaten-path ports and the chance to sail on a new ship. We had previously taken one HAL cruise in 2005. SHIP LAYOUT: There are parts of the Koningsdam that ...

We are 4 star mariners on HAL so we wanted to experience the newest ship; this cruise also stopped at some places we had not been, like Gibralter and Sardinia. Food, as usual, was great. Avenues of entertainment (BB King, Bilboard, Lincoln Center, world stage, etc) all had excellent value. The new style of showers is excellent; the overall ambience and décor are stunning. BAD news: ...

The ship was very disappointing. The online photos and videos are very misleading as they show show open, bright airy spaces but the ship is dark, cramped and crowded. There is lifted carpeting throughout the ship and broken windows. The Queens lounge was the biggest disappointment - the band knew only one tune and played it over and over until only the drunks remained, and when the band took a ...