Holland America Koningsdam
The Koningsdam was launched in 2016 and is one of three Holland America Pinnacle Class Ships The other two are the Nieuw Statendam and the Rotterdam. All our nearly 100,000 gross tons and have a capacity of 2650 passengers. Pinnacle Class ships are the largest ships that Holland America sails - but they are significantly smaller than some of the mega ships that other lines sail. Holland America currently has11 ships cruising around the globe. Other Holland America ships are two Signature Class Ships (the Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam, each with a capacity of 2106), four Vista Class Ships (the Noordam, Westerdam, Osterdam, and Zuiderdam, each with a capacity of 1924 passengers), and two R Class Ships (the Zaandam and Volendam, each with a capacity of 1432 passengers).
Our Koningsdam Experience
We have sailed on the Koningsdam several times since it was launched. It was launched in 2016 and its last Dry Dock was in April 2023. Despite being over eight years old, we have found the Koningsdam to be in excellent condition. The carpets in some areas show a little wear, especially in the high traffic areas of smaller staterooms. Everything in all of the cabins we have occupied was in excellent working condition, Our room stewards were always able to provide excellent instructions on using the stateroom items. The staterooms were always clean with the excellent morning service and nightly turn down service. Laundry service was excellent with laundry returned to the stateroom by the next morning. Ice and other amenities were provided on request. But the best feature of all of our Holland America cruises has been the exceptional service and friendliness provided by the Indonesian and Filipino room stewards and wait staff.
The Koningsdam is of the Pinnacle Class, the largest ships in the Holland America fleet. The extra size and capacity of these ships makes possible additional facilities and features that are not available on the smaller ships. We do miss the intimacy of the smaller ships where it is much easier to get to know your fellow passengers. But there is definitely a tradeoff on the size of ships in terms of what you get and what you loose. Our favorite ship of previous years was the now retired Maasdam, an S Class ship with a capacity of 1266 passengers. There are definitely efficiencies for cruise lines to transition to larger ships with newer technology. Most cruise ship these days use electric azipods to propel the ship for greater efficiency and maneuverability instead of the older direct drive propeller shafts, And cruise ships now take full advantage of data provided by weather and GPS satellites for more accurate and smoother navigation to the next port.
Ships need constant upkeep and maintenance. Weather and salt water environment take a toll on all ships. We see constant maintenance by ship crew when at sea and additional maintenance while in port. As an example, during our embarkation in San Diego divers were in the water cleaning our ship's propellers. Every few years ships do go into dry dock for maintenance and upgrades. On the Koningsdam's last dry dock in 2023 a number of upgrades were made in addition to normal ship maintenance. The previous Microsoft Studio was converted into a Library - a most welcome change. Also the previous extremely slow Wi-Fi system was replaced with a new system that uses Starlink satellites. On this cruise, WiFi was relatively fast with few outages. This is a most welcome change for those of us who rely on internet access throughout the cruise. The main disadvantage of the new system is the very high cost to passengers,
The Koningsdam is of the Pinnacle Class, the largest ships in the Holland America fleet. The extra size and capacity of these ships makes possible additional facilities and features that are not available on the smaller ships. We do miss the intimacy of the smaller ships where it is much easier to get to know your fellow passengers. But there is definitely a tradeoff on the size of ships in terms of what you get and what you loose. Our favorite ship of previous years was the now retired Maasdam, an S Class ship with a capacity of 1266 passengers. There are definitely efficiencies for cruise lines to transition to larger ships with newer technology. Most cruise ship these days use electric azipods to propel the ship for greater efficiency and maneuverability instead of the older direct drive propeller shafts, And cruise ships now take full advantage of data provided by weather and GPS satellites for more accurate and smoother navigation to the next port.
Ships need constant upkeep and maintenance. Weather and salt water environment take a toll on all ships. We see constant maintenance by ship crew when at sea and additional maintenance while in port. As an example, during our embarkation in San Diego divers were in the water cleaning our ship's propellers. Every few years ships do go into dry dock for maintenance and upgrades. On the Koningsdam's last dry dock in 2023 a number of upgrades were made in addition to normal ship maintenance. The previous Microsoft Studio was converted into a Library - a most welcome change. Also the previous extremely slow Wi-Fi system was replaced with a new system that uses Starlink satellites. On this cruise, WiFi was relatively fast with few outages. This is a most welcome change for those of us who rely on internet access throughout the cruise. The main disadvantage of the new system is the very high cost to passengers,
Our Stateroom 6152
Our Verandah Stateroom 6152 was located port side on Deck 6 (Mozart Deck) near the aft elevators. At this point, the protrusion of the ship (often referred to as the "hump") resulted in a larger stateroom and angled triangular verandah.
The closet space seemed quite adequate since extra blankets were stored under the angled beverage bar and life jackets over the sofa. Beach towels were stored on closet floor but rolled so little space was needed to store them. The two closets had useful shelves at their bottoms and drawers located nearby were deep and spacious. Tables and desk added additional storage
The safe was conveniently located at eye level. We always pack several very strong magnetized hooks, and use them on walls for storage of jackets and other bulky items. A large umbrella was provided in the closet. A portable hair dryer and mirror were also provided.
There is no bathroom storage other than shallow wall-mounted racks and an under-sink shelf. The toilet is angled with little front clerance. The shower is spacious with a glass door, several grab bars, a moveable shower head, and soap and conditioner containers.
The closet space seemed quite adequate since extra blankets were stored under the angled beverage bar and life jackets over the sofa. Beach towels were stored on closet floor but rolled so little space was needed to store them. The two closets had useful shelves at their bottoms and drawers located nearby were deep and spacious. Tables and desk added additional storage
The safe was conveniently located at eye level. We always pack several very strong magnetized hooks, and use them on walls for storage of jackets and other bulky items. A large umbrella was provided in the closet. A portable hair dryer and mirror were also provided.
There is no bathroom storage other than shallow wall-mounted racks and an under-sink shelf. The toilet is angled with little front clerance. The shower is spacious with a glass door, several grab bars, a moveable shower head, and soap and conditioner containers.
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