Background:
In this post, I’ll be reviewing both the Inside Cabin and Obstructed Balcony Cabins aboard Holland America’s Koningsdam. Delivered in 2016, the Koningsdam is the first and lead vessel of Holland America’s Pinnacle Class. It is the largest ship ever commissioned for Holland America Line. In terms of the staterooms, both were very modern and updated which was nice, as previously I’ve only cruised on older ships: Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas, and the former Star Princess. I stayed in a large Inside Cabin, while other family members stayed in an Obstructed Verandah.
Holland America Koningsdam Cruise Report:
Check out my Koningsdam Cruise Report below
- How I booked my “free” Holland America Cruise to Alaska
- Room Review: Holland America Koningsdam Inside Cabin and Obstructed Verandah
- Alaska Inside Passage Ports on Holland America’s Koningsdam
- Holland America Koningsdam Dining and Entertainment
Inside Cabin I-4104:
I booked this cabin specifically because I read online that it was a larger inside cabin. Despite being right behind the elevator bay, I couldn’t hear anything, and it’s designed in a way that’s quite private and not on the main walkway. The website states that inside cabins are approximately 143–225 sq. ft, and I think my cabin was closer to the larger side of that range.
Upon entering the cabin, you’ll see a large sofa to the left side of the room, then the two “twin” beds that can be merged into a queen.
Next to the door is a desk and stool, and towards the back right of the room is where a majority of the closet space is located.
The television is in a bit of an awkward spot, right on top of the sofa. You can pull out the TV from the wall, but it still involves kind of straining your neck to watch TV. Just a minor inconvenience. I did appreciate how the TV had complimentary on-demand movies, and some TV channels (HGTV, Food Network). The TV channels sometimes weren’t available due to connection issues, so I’m glad we had the on-demand movies.
The beds were quite good, and I thought the mattress and sheets felt luxurious. For the first few nights, I got good sleep. But, then I got some bad pillows and it tainted the remaining nights for me. Not sure what pillows I got, but they were extremely uncomfortable.
In terms of storage, there was plenty and I thought the room was generally designed well. An umbrella, robes, beach towels, a safe, and a hairdryer were provided in the room. The AC worked nicely too.
One pet peeve I had was that the bathroom light was so bright and only had one setting. Also, I did not like how you had to control the bathroom light switch from outside of the bathroom.
The bathroom was nicely appointed for a cruise ship and had a large standup shower. I liked the wand showerhead, and the toiletries by Elemis felt upscale. They provided shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and a bar of soap. This was leaps and bounds better than the “3 in 1 Shampoo, Conditioner, and Body Wash” that Royal Caribbean provided on my last cruise.
Another pet peeve about the room was that I noticed people online complain about creaking noises. Our room definitely suffered from that for 2-3 days in the middle of our journey. I have no idea where it was coming from. At first, I thought it was the TV, but even moving around the TV didn’t help.
Cleanliness was good, and our room attendant serviced our room daily. The towels were all clean as well which was a plus.
Inside Cabin Verdict:
Overall, I liked the large interior stateroom aboard Holland America’s Koningsdam. It’s a little tight given that it’s a “large” inside cabin, but well appointed and modern. The beds and sheets were quite comfortable, but I do wish I figured out what happened with the pillows!
Obstructed Verandah VH-4041:
The obstructed verandah cabin category is rooms that have their view blocked by lifeboats. I chose this cabin specifically because I read online that it has a larger balcony, and the lifeboats towards the front of the boat are smaller than the lifeboats towards the rear, so the view is less obstructed. The website states that the obstructed verandah cabins are approximately 228–405 sq. ft. including verandah. I believe this room was somewhere in the middle, as the balcony was larger, but the cabin itself was a standard size.
I was a bit worried about it being right in front of the elevator landing and one floor above the casino, and it ended up turning out quite bad. The entrance to the room always smelled like casino smoke, and there was a lot of hallway traffic. So for those reasons, I wouldn’t recommend this room unless you need a large balcony. Another tip: don’t choose obstructed balconies above the BB King’s Blues Club (4120-4146), as when I walked on the hallways of those rooms, you could feel the bass shaking the whole deck/floor at night. For light sleepers, I bet that wouldn’t be pleasant.
The room was a bit tight and narrow, with 2 twins that make a queen, a small sofa, and a deck area near the window. This room is special as it has a window on top of the balcony due to its special configuration. The balcony is large, with 2 chairs. I visited the balcony a lot and while it was spacious, it often smelt like smoke, or an annoying gas odor. The smoke may be from the public deck below (and the casino), so be aware of the cons of this room.
The bathroom was practically identical to our inside cabin just in a reversed configuration.
An Interesting/Annoying Event:
At 3 a.m. one night, there was a fire indicator that went off and instead of investigating it before announcing it to the passengers, they announced over the loudspeaker something like “Fire in zone A section 3”. They continued talking in “code language”, so we were all confused about what to do. After 5-10 minutes or so, the cruise director thankfully explained in simple language what was happening, and told us to stay put in our cabins. Then, they solved the fire situation, and the cruise director said everything was back to normal.
It seems like it wasn’t handled correctly, as the “code language” didn’t do any favors to the passengers and just made us confused. And, some people might panic at the word fire. They should have definitely handled the situation differently.
Check Out:
I appreciated how the check-out time from the staterooms was 9:30 AM. This allowed for a full nights rest and breakfast. My last Royal Caribbean cruise was at 8 AM and that was a bit too early for my liking.
The Verdict:
Overall, I found the staterooms on the Koningsdam to be quite nice. While a bit small, I appreciated how updated and modern the staterooms were. The only issues I had with my Koningsdam inside the cabin were the creaking and uncomfortable pillow, but otherwise, it was a solid cabin for a cruise. I definitely would say not to take the particular obstructed verandah cabin we booked and opt for a different one when booking.
What do you think about the Koningsdam Inside Cabin and Obstructed Verandah staterooms? Comment below!
Cheers,
Ty
Have any questions? I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays, cruises or planning trips. Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
