Holland America Koningsdam Cruise Review
Holland America Koningsdam Review and Tips for Alaska 2022
Yesterday, we disembarked from a seven night Alaska Inside Passage cruise on the Holland America Koningsdam. The cruise was round trip from Vancouver. I love sailing from Vancouver. The first and last day are more sheltered than sailing from Seattle. This usually means smoother seas. You also skip the very short stay in Victoria so you get a little longer in the Alaskan ports of call. Currently, you will need a plan to test for COVID to get back into the United States. Holland America is not providing the tests.
The Boarding Process: COVID protocols continue to evolve so it’s very important to keep up to date on the current requirements. I was very impressed with Holland America’s boarding process. They recommended you fill out the Verifly and ArriveCAN Apps prior to embarkation. This absolutely saved us time. I think we likely saved about 45 minutes. This video outlines the boarding process and links to the videos on how to fill out Verifly and ArriveCAN.
The cruise itself was wonderful. We had the best weather. It was like I had never before to Juneau before even though this is my 4th cruise to Alaska. It was a completely different city without rain clouds. We had the best beautiful view of the Mendenhall Glacier during out whale watching tour.
Scenic Cruising - The weather led to some of the best scenic cruising we’ve had. One of the best parts of an Alaskan cruise is all the scenic cruising. That’s why I always recommend booking a cabin with balcony. You sail close to land for much of the cruise. The naturalist on board would host scenic viewing hours where you could meet him on Deck 3 to try to spot wildlife The ship had a lot of other locations for great viewing:
I like to leave a lot to discover on your Alaska cruise, but here’s some of my don’t miss recommendations:
The tiny Swedish pancakes at the Grand Dutch Cafe.
Mobile Ordering for Dive In Burgers and the New York Pizza
Planet Earth II accompanied by the Lincoln Center Stage musicians in World Stage.
The Billboard Dueling Piano Players
Heading out to Deck 5 - weather permitting - in the morning of Glacier Bay. They serve Split Pea Soup around 10:30 am to keep you warm. To get there, take the Forward elevators and follow the signs. You’ll feel the cool air down the hallway.
Crow’s Nest has a coffee show called Explorations Cafe and a bar. They also have board games tucked away in a green bookshelf on the Starboard or left side of the ship as you face the bow.
Bring a little orange to wear if you want to feel festive at the Orange Party celebrating Holland America Line’s Dutch heritage. They pick Orange because of the Royal Family. (Yes, that is a trivia answer. Shh….)
If you like beer, be sure to try all the special Alaska and Pike Brewing beers they added to the menu. You may also want to check out Klondike Brewing in Skagway and Bawden Street Brewing in Ketchikan.
As a fun, bonus treat, I thought you might like to read what my husband thought of the cruise. He writes a fun food blog: https://yourgastronomyguide.blogspot.com/
Here is what he posted in a Facebook group for Holland America Line Cruisers:
As we have just finished most of our packing, time for some final thoughts on the cruise.
Wonderful staff. Some of the best I have encountered on over 60 cruises and all the major lines. Great service in Club Orange and the Crow's Nest. The concierge in Neptune Lounge was so helpful.
Some very good food, especially at the Pinnacle Grill. We ate all other dinners at Club Orange. While the food was generally good, I was hoping for a slightly more elevated experience in that venue. The Gala night menus didn't "wow" me. Neither had a lobster starter or main which I thought was odd.
The entertainment is a mixture of good and bad. Some very good live music with the BB King band and the dueling pianos. Didn't spend any time in Rolling Stone Rock Room but I heard the band and they sounded very good.
The shows on World Stage were almost all interpretive dance shows from a single dance company. Perhaps that is what the key demographic on this cruise wants to see, but it wasn't for me. Would have been nice to mix in some other types of musical shows. They did have a great BBC Planet Earth show which was amazing.
The ship is in great shape for being six years old. It looked the same as I remember when I sailed in the inaugural season in July 2016.
We upgraded to the Elite beverage package. (We had a Signature beverage package included with a promotion. That includes 15 beverages a day up to $11. All beverages count toward the 15 drink maximum. - Angie)
It was worth it to me since there were several wines I liked that weren't in the $11 price range. I also liked having unlimited canned waters. I probably drank at least five a day and usually brought one back to the cabin each night. The cocktail program is strong and each bar has a unique menu of special cocktails to try. Makes it fun to put together your own bar crawl.
Having the Neptune Suite was definitely worth it for this sailing. We spent a lot of the scenic cruising time out on the large balcony.
On Glacier Bay day, the concierge arranged an afternoon tea which we enjoyed there. I don't think I would need that suite for all sailings, but it really enhanced this Alaska sailing.
The Navigator app could be frustrating at times but I found myself using it more as the cruise went on. (I put together a video on how to use the App after we figured out how best to use it - Angie )
And the ability to mobile order from NY Pizza and Dive In was so helpful and a great timesaver. We would order while having cocktails at Crow's Nest then run down to pick up and being back to the bar to eat.
Overall a great cruise. Definitely will consider this ship class for our next Alaska sailing.