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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.
We are 3 Star Mariners with HAL. This was our first time on the Koningsdam. Overall it was a great cruise with our group of 8 family members ranging in age from 66 to 80. We were on the 17th day sailing getting off in San Diego. Embarkation in Ft. Lauderdale was a disaster. The line snaked around the terminal and took forever even once inside. They claimed it had to do with a technical issue processing embarkation. It took at least 2 hours. Cabin: Navigation Deck forward/portside. Ample with a loveseat and desk, small balcony. The bed was very comfortable and the HVAC worked great. The shower is very large by cruise ship standards. Dining: We had set dining on the 3rd deck at 7:30 for 8 of us most nights. The service started off a little hit and miss but after a few days they turned it around and were very accommodating to our needs and whims. The food in the MDR was very good overall, but if it was not cooked to your liking they always offered to bring you something else. Bars: We had the Have-It-All package so our drinks were mostly covered except when we had call drinks above the $12 limit. We used it for drinks, wine, specialty coffee, fresh squeezed orange juices and canned water. We consume enough of those things to cover the cost of the package plus it included wifi and on some sailings it will even cover crew appreciation (tips) but on this sailing we were charged $289 pp for a 17 night sailing. Happy hours (for those without a drink package) were available and held ONLY in the Music Walk area Rolling Stones and Billboard bars. Those places were packed during happy hour. Technology on board: This is a new category for my reviews. After sailing on Princess last year with their medallion technology - (never having to open your room with a key and never having to sign a slip of paper for anything) it’s hard NOT to complain about having to whip out your stateroom key every time you order something AND sometimes.. but not always (???) sign a receipt. The receipts offer you a chance to add additional tips. Other tech related comments are that the wifi was persnickety when jumping from one device to another or if you changed locations within the ship. I also think the TV in the staterooms could be made easier to operate and get information from. The phones in the cabins come with no instruction and are really hard to use also. Entertainment on board: Ranged from really bad to really great. The main reason we love HAL is because of the BB KINGS BLUES LOUNGE. Not all ship have it and some have replaced it with the Rolling Stones Lounge. Koningsdam has both. The group at BB Kings was outstanding every night they played. Great musicians, great energy and enthusiasm and performances. Most nights you would find all the other performers from the World Stage showing up there to watch as well. As far as the World Stage entertainment went - we really only enjoyed the Fosse/Verndon show. All the rest were not engaging at all. The dancers are good but the stage is oddly shaped and small the the background technology we found to be more annoying than entertaining. Maybe it was just us. The comedian the first night was terrible and we never went back for another comedy show. Some of our group enjoyed the magic show. One night some of the singers came up to the Crows nest and sang some showtunes basically without a mike and just a little background accompaniment - They could have taken that to the Billboard or Rolling Stones and really made that a great little show. Not sure what they were thinking there. Speaking of Billboard: AKA the piano bar. I honestly have never heard a worse one. Absolutely zero reason to even slow down walking past. The band over in the Rolling Stones lounge were good - but they were totally over-shadowed by the BB KINGS BLUES LOUNGE who had all the people dancing all night. Lido food and service was as expected. You can’t go wrong with so many choices. I will say that we did not like that this ship required you to walk the entire Lido side to get to the other side. Other ships have a walkway 1/2 way through. Some mornings you could get your steps in just by trying to find an omelette or Congee (the Asian breakfast dish). Which brings me to the coffee. I think for many people the coffee is drinkable but we always went to the Crows Nest or Dutch Cafe for specialty coffee. The Lido offers a machine made specialty americano, espresso, cappucino etc but not as good as Crows or the Dutch Cafe. The Dutch Café was wonderful. Their split pea soup was the best we ever had and they had all kinds of delectable items for breakfast and lunch. My only complaint is that you could not sit at the bar and get waited on. You had to get in line to place your order.. again with the card and receipts.. so many times per day. Mustering has been streamlined here. Watch the info on the TV (or say you have watched it) then take your room key to your muster station for scanning and you are done.. probably keeps the wheels of commerce going (no closure of bars) but boy oh boy .. in the event of an actual emergency… I would hate to think how that would go. Shopping on board is standard fare. Liquor, Effy, Watches, gold by the inch, sundries, clothing and souvenirs. Shipboard decor: We give this ship an A+ on the music themed artwork throughout the ship. Some very interesting pieces on each floor of each stairwell. Crows Nest was a combo of a game room than a lounge for cocktails and watching the sea. So many people up there playing cards, board games and doing jigsaw puzzles every day. The art room was surprisingly popular for Origami, adult coloring and painting, needlepoint and knitting but it was a large area that felt underused most of the time. Pool/hot tub/chair availability: Standard. You have to get there early to get what you want but we never couldn’t find one. Pizza and Dive in for quick meals was popular too. Tip: Try the pizza place for late breakfast they will make you fresh eggs. Pickleball at Sea: This is our second cruise with pickleball at sea.. it’s very very popular and the same people show up every day. Bring your A game as you will be paired up with people who eat, sleep and breathe pickleball. So crazy playing in the wind on a ship! Activities: We did not play Bingo on this ship nor did we participate in any trivia events which many people really enjoy - that was held down in the Rolling Stones lounge, BB Kings or Billboard areas. They did offer ACBL bridge with an accredited instructor and daily classes for different levels as well as duplicate bridge games in the afternoon. Very very well run and our instructor Christine was so good at teaching. Very patient and funny. Art auctions were held from time to time but we did not participate. All the usual artwork was there. Mahjongg was popular on this cruise both Chinese and American player could be found down in the Stuyvesant room and in the Crows Nest. They had like 5 sets available on board. Photography: Same as always. Annoying and unnecessary but for first timers it’s an option to sit for a portrait you might not ordinarily get. Mariners celebrations: There were 2 for us. One on the Lido deck one evening with canapés and drinks and a luncheon later on in the main dining room. A little perk for being a loyal HAL customer. However … very disappointing that they are no longer giving out the ceramic coasters. We got nothing this time except a card with all the ports on it. Honestly did they have to cut THAT corner too? Disembarkation was a mess as well. Immigration first - snaking lines through the ship waiting to process everyone. Once that was done it was easy to get off the ship. We did put a deposit on a future cruise but felt like that person working the desk EXPECTED you to know what you want before you sat down and we always felt rushed. Also his computer screen was just not something we could understand.. he had inventory and asked abrupt questions.. I guess there isn’t enough time to really be of service. The cruise director was the most subdued one we have ever seen. Not that that is a bad thing, but compared to our last HAL director on the Oosterdam in fall of 2024 .. he was just non-descript. We rarely listened to his announcements. Shore excursions: We took more from “the ship” this time than most cruises, but they are still always more expensive and way too crowded. We prefer booking “off the ship” when possible. That about covers it. We had the drink package. We didn’t order bottles of wine. We ate one night at Tamarand which was SUPERB and one night at Pinnacle Grill which was very good. I wish we had gone to Rudys Sel de Mer. Next time. I hope that HAL will adopt the medallion type technology in the future.
We had a very nice cabin with an ocean view on Deck 1 (our usual choice). We don't need a balcony as we're not in our cabin except to sleep. Our cabin stewards were wonderful and cleaned twice a day. We had everything we needed. Food was very good in the Lido Market and excellent in the Main dining room, Pinnacle, Tamarind and Cannaletto. The staff throughout the ship was very friendly and helpful. The entertainment was excellent in the theatre as well as the individual music venues. We have taken about 20 cruises and most on HAL. We did this 10 day cruise and then the following 2/14 week the eleven day cruise for a nice back to back. We played a lot of pickleball and met some great people. We were told the ship is going into dry dock in March for upgrades. We loved this ship and we'll be back!
I fell in love with Koningsdam. I cruised on Princess in December and NCL Aqua in January and Koningsdam in February. Koningsdam stands out as the best in service, food, and entertainment. Holland Ameircia does have an older crowd of passengers but don't count it out unless you are cruising solo trying to meet someone. The experience starts out perfect by having your room ready as soon as you board. Food options-dining room, buffet and fast food options(Dive In-best burger and fries at sea) were all great Room service menu is fair but remains included.(this is basically nonexsistent anymore) Service is excellent, staff to cruiser ratios made things run smoothly Entertainment-BB King Jazz club, Rolling Stone Lounge and billboards-incredible music for all ages. Cruising has changed since the pandemic. The cost keeps going up, the value keeps going down. For me, the Koningsdam was a breath of fresh air because it was a great experience at a great value
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.
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.
