0208 248 2355
Questions about your booking? Contact Us
Login
If complete bliss is the destination, Koningsdam cruise ship is the journey. Fluid lines, light-filled spaces, and a blend of 21st century elegance and nautical tradition dazzles at every turn. The ship abounds with innovative dining and entertainment options. Head to B.B. King’s Blues Club for Memphis R&B, take in visually stunning entertainment at World Stage, or revisit classic hits at Billboard Onboard. There’s much to see and do on Koningsdam, the first of the cruise ships in Holland America Line’s Pinnacle class.
Winner Best Mid-Sized Ship
Hooray for Koningsdam. A sublime balance of big and small, this mid-size features larger-than-life music venues and activities galore, coupled with small ship service and elbow room.
This was our first time on HAL, and we partially chose it because of the variety of live music options in the Music Walk. We chose correctly! Loved the duelling piano in Billboard and the multi-piece band at B.B. King's. Evening entertainment in the theater was fine, but nothing amazing. We actually preferred some of the daytime features like the culinary demonstration, behind the scenes of the ship, and history of HAL. The food was consistently high quality in every venue we visited. The only food related criticism we have is that more than once, we found ourselves between times of different venues. For example, wanting a sweet treat around 9pm, only to find that the Grand Dutch Cafe stops serving food at 8pm, and the buffet wouldn't reopen until 10:30pm. The Crow's Nest Cafe on deck 12 forward was a great place to sit and read or play a board game and have a wonderful view. I can't believe I'm saying this, but the library was amazing. It felt like a tiny Barnes and Noble. Well organized and lots of choices. It's the first time I've ever taken advantage of a ship library. And I don't know when Gage sleeps, because he was everywhere, hosting some many different events. Overall, we loved that there were plenty of places to sit and hangout throughout the ship, and the amount of live music choices in the evening.
There is an article on this website that discusses changes in Celebrity and how it has spiraled downwards. I have done 60 cruises with Celebrity and my first Holland America (HA) cruise the past April 5th Celebrity has become a cash conscious taker, has cut so many things just to save a few bucks and I will not sail with them again. On the Koningsdam, everything was outstanding. The staff are very gracious, happy. joke amongst themselves and one can easily see that HA treats them well. Not so with Celebrity - I have had several run-ins with rude staff members. The food is far superior than Celebrity and unlike Celebrity, it arrives in a timely manner. It was evident that HA made most of the activities relatable to the cruise we are on. Celebrity does not, its just the same old, same old... The officers were kind and toured the ship talking with guests onboard. I had a nice decision with the Captain and his Deputy. I was given a reduced cost upgrade to a Vista Suite. In all the 60 cruises I have sailed with Celebrity, not once was I offered a free upgrade or a reduced cost upgrade. The size of the ship was perfect, the new Celebrity Edge class are far too big, They do not have verendahs. Don't let them fool you with their ridiculous virtual window BS. If you still want to sail with them, save some money and go for an ocean view room. Its a waste to buy Concierge Class ticket. The entertainment aboard HA was outstanding. I attended almost all events in the evening with HA and they really made an effort to do their very best. Celebrity on the other hand - their entertainment was of a very poor quality replaying and replaying several productions (Rock City and the timeclock thing). I stopped going to their attempt at entertainment long ago and just went to bed. HA is very careful about soliciting guests to buy things like upgraded beverages and wifi, i.e. they do not do it. You have to ask for it. Celebrity on the other hand, bombards its guests daily trying to sell amenities or upgraded ones. The dancers were exceptional. Celebrity has also shortened its cruises - there are no 14 night cruises in the Caribbean anymore. Quick sales for quick cruises. They have changed their strategy towards the younger folk, but have forgotten about us oldies (PS it is us who have money, not the youngsters). There is all kinds of variety of types and duration of cruises with HA. In my view, Celebrity has sadly set up to fail.. Celebrity has not strategically thought out their changes and it is going to haunt them in the near future. I believe safety is of prime importance - Celebrity is grossly lacking in this regard. They have reduced staff again so that guests have to plate themselves in the Ocean View Cafe and many with mobility issues are without assistance, or they have to wait for assistance. Not so with HA, everything is served by the staff in the Rido Market (I think it is called that) and it is much healthier. On Celebrity I have seen men come from the restroom after not cleaning their hands and sticking them directly into food. I had two stateroom attendants and two waiters with HA, and everyone did, regardless of your cabin. Celebrity did away with the second stateroom attendant and one of two waiters to save money. HA stateroom attendants wash down the walls - saw them doing so when I came back in. I am disappointed for two reasons: a. I am kicking myself for not trying HA much earlier in my cruise life; and b. Celebrity was once a great cruise line before corporate killed it and I have 1800 loyalty points with Celebrity that will be at sea. But I am not compromising again! With Future Cruises, I booked two more 17 night cruises with HA. This week I am cancelling all of my pending cruises with Celebrity.
HAL continues it's tradition of providing a quality journey for a mature traveler. Outstanding service in all areas and the ship has been maintained in very good condition. The only negative is that they allow smoking throughout the casino. This can be an issue when you make your way from the World Stage to other areas on deck 3. The Main dining room has quality servings. Strongly recommend the Pinnacle Grill, Tamarindo, for speciality dining. Our cabin was in very good condition and the cabin stewards kept it spotless during our journey. Walking the Promenade deck is a Holland American tradition that you don't find on other cruise ships. Some of the entertainment and guest speakers can vary in quality, but for the most poit their is something for everyone. The shore excursions that Holland America offers are a bit pricy. We purchased several directly from tour companies and through Viator.
This was the first time we have done a grandparents cruise. We brought our 2 granddaughters, ages 11 & 13. We knew that Holland America would not be a "fun ship", with slides and bumper cars and climbing walls. That wasn't what we wanted anyway. We wanted the kind of cruise we knew would be comfortable for us, deciding the girls wouldn't need all the extras. After all, they had never been on a cruise, so we figured the novelty alone would be enough. We weren't the only parents/grandparents that felt like we did. There turned out to be quite a few children, and none of them were the obnoxious kind. We saw them mostly around the pool, and on one sea day the ship hosted carnival games where we saw lots of kids. They had a great time on the ship and on land. Two days in San Francisco was great; the ship docks a 15 minute walk to Ghirardelli Square. We had a lot of fun together at the stop in Astoria, Oragon. That was a great little city. We did tea at the Empress in Victoria, which to be honest was overkill for these young girls. And we rented a car to go out to Butchart Gardens. On the ship, we went to dinner together in The Dining Room every night, which was fun for the girls night after night to choose whatever they wanted off the formal menu. For lunch there is a pizza place that will take your specific order, and a burger place; it was a great ship for kids! We were able to have the 4 of us in a veranda cabin, where one bed came down from the ceiling. It was a tight fit, but we were never uncomfortable.
This was our first time on HAL, and we partially chose it because of the variety of live music options in the Music Walk. We chose correctly! Loved the duelling piano in Billboard and the multi-piece band at B.B. King's. Evening entertainment in the theater was fine, but nothing amazing. We actually preferred some of the daytime features like the culinary demonstration, behind the scenes of the ship, and history of HAL. The food was consistently high quality in every venue we visited. The only food related criticism we have is that more than once, we found ourselves between times of different venues. For example, wanting a sweet treat around 9pm, only to find that the Grand Dutch Cafe stops serving food at 8pm, and the buffet wouldn't reopen until 10:30pm. The Crow's Nest Cafe on deck 12 forward was a great place to sit and read or play a board game and have a wonderful view. I can't believe I'm saying this, but the library was amazing. It felt like a tiny Barnes and Noble. Well organized and lots of choices. It's the first time I've ever taken advantage of a ship library. And I don't know when Gage sleeps, because he was everywhere, hosting some many different events. Overall, we loved that there were plenty of places to sit and hangout throughout the ship, and the amount of live music choices in the evening.
There is an article on this website that discusses changes in Celebrity and how it has spiraled downwards. I have done 60 cruises with Celebrity and my first Holland America (HA) cruise the past April 5th Celebrity has become a cash conscious taker, has cut so many things just to save a few bucks and I will not sail with them again. On the Koningsdam, everything was outstanding. The staff are very gracious, happy. joke amongst themselves and one can easily see that HA treats them well. Not so with Celebrity - I have had several run-ins with rude staff members. The food is far superior than Celebrity and unlike Celebrity, it arrives in a timely manner. It was evident that HA made most of the activities relatable to the cruise we are on. Celebrity does not, its just the same old, same old... The officers were kind and toured the ship talking with guests onboard. I had a nice decision with the Captain and his Deputy. I was given a reduced cost upgrade to a Vista Suite. In all the 60 cruises I have sailed with Celebrity, not once was I offered a free upgrade or a reduced cost upgrade. The size of the ship was perfect, the new Celebrity Edge class are far too big, They do not have verendahs. Don't let them fool you with their ridiculous virtual window BS. If you still want to sail with them, save some money and go for an ocean view room. Its a waste to buy Concierge Class ticket. The entertainment aboard HA was outstanding. I attended almost all events in the evening with HA and they really made an effort to do their very best. Celebrity on the other hand - their entertainment was of a very poor quality replaying and replaying several productions (Rock City and the timeclock thing). I stopped going to their attempt at entertainment long ago and just went to bed. HA is very careful about soliciting guests to buy things like upgraded beverages and wifi, i.e. they do not do it. You have to ask for it. Celebrity on the other hand, bombards its guests daily trying to sell amenities or upgraded ones. The dancers were exceptional. Celebrity has also shortened its cruises - there are no 14 night cruises in the Caribbean anymore. Quick sales for quick cruises. They have changed their strategy towards the younger folk, but have forgotten about us oldies (PS it is us who have money, not the youngsters). There is all kinds of variety of types and duration of cruises with HA. In my view, Celebrity has sadly set up to fail.. Celebrity has not strategically thought out their changes and it is going to haunt them in the near future. I believe safety is of prime importance - Celebrity is grossly lacking in this regard. They have reduced staff again so that guests have to plate themselves in the Ocean View Cafe and many with mobility issues are without assistance, or they have to wait for assistance. Not so with HA, everything is served by the staff in the Rido Market (I think it is called that) and it is much healthier. On Celebrity I have seen men come from the restroom after not cleaning their hands and sticking them directly into food. I had two stateroom attendants and two waiters with HA, and everyone did, regardless of your cabin. Celebrity did away with the second stateroom attendant and one of two waiters to save money. HA stateroom attendants wash down the walls - saw them doing so when I came back in. I am disappointed for two reasons: a. I am kicking myself for not trying HA much earlier in my cruise life; and b. Celebrity was once a great cruise line before corporate killed it and I have 1800 loyalty points with Celebrity that will be at sea. But I am not compromising again! With Future Cruises, I booked two more 17 night cruises with HA. This week I am cancelling all of my pending cruises with Celebrity.
With refined amenities and Holland America Line signature Mariner’s Dream bed gracing each elegant stateroom, the ship offers six grades of staterooms. Most are ocean-facing, many featuring teak-lined verandas for dining alfresco or private sunbathing.
Whet your appetite for delicious new tastes and engaging interactive culinary experiences on board.
Boasting an expansive range of enrichment facilities and opportunity, Holland America Line's ships are bound to offer something you'll want to know more about. Why not have a go at the Digital Workshop powered by Windows and learn how to enhance your holiday picture or how to easily share them.
Every day aboard a Holland America cruise ship brings a wealth of cruise activities and indulgences, along with the freedom to partake in as many- or as few- as you please. It's an opportunity to try something new that surprises you, every day. Dabble, discover, daydream- do everything, or do nothing at all.
Whether you want to workout in the Fitness Centre, learn yoga, pamper yourself with a massage and spa treatment, or enjoy a game of basketball, there's a perfect onboard activity for everyone.
Holland America Line's youth activities program, Kids Club, offers an array of entertaining events for kids and teens ages 3-17, supervised by a full-time, professionally trained staff. They'll have an opportunity to join other kids their age for arts and crafts, sports, video game competitions, scavenger hunts, challenging team games and themed parties.
Note: Kids Club is not offered on cruises of 25-days or longer, including all Legendary and Grand Voyages. We will offer a selection of children’s activities throughout these longer voyages for any children who may be onboard.
Safety Comes First
Safety is our primary concern and strict policies are in place for effective supervision. Adult guests are not permitted to remain in Kids Club unless attending to a special-needs child.
Please note: During voyages with a high number of families onboard, we will make all efforts to accommodate interested parties. However, participation in our program cannot be guaranteed. Hours of operation may change to better serve our guests.
