My Day Out on the MS Koningsdam

So, last Tuesday, I visited the MS Koningsdam, before was she was due to depart to head off on her Mediterranean itinerary.

As usual, it was an early start from me living 3 hours away.  But my journey was extended by about an hour due to the high winds and rain that we had received her in South Wales.  So traffic was a bit busier than normal. (So please if the weather is bad, leave a bit earlier to allow for any additional traffic)  Nevertheless, I made it to Southampton, with time to spare.  So met up with a couple of my colleagues and we boarded the MS Koningsdam.

When arrived onboard, there were passengers disembarking, as she had left Amsterdam which is where the ship had departed from, so people were off out on their excursions, some customers had chosen to stay onboard.  So he headed off through the Atrium and found the buffet restaurant, and had a coffee whilst we created a plan of attack for the ship.  Lunch was on Deck 2 – so we decided to start from the top and work our way down.

Off we went to the top deck, to find the outdoor pool area, and due to the weather, as you can imagine it was really quiet around that area of the ship and we were being windswept, so quickly took some photos and off we went back inside.

Once inside we took a look at what else the ship had to offer, so we took a wander further along the ship to Sel De Mer the Seafood restaurant, and also along the to the indoor pool.  By the time we had done all this, we had to go for lunch, and I must say, it was stunning!  I’ve only ever visited the likes of P&O and MSC before, so to have food on a 5* ship was somthing of a novelty for me.  What we got what was a sample menu of what customers actually receive on a daily basis, and boy if you are sailing with Holland America, then are in for a treat!  I had Shrimp and Avacado Cocktail to start, followed by Tomato and Carrot soup.  Then for main was Fillet Mignon (cooked to my exact liking), followed by a chocolate and raspberry dessert (couldn’t eat this as was far too sweet for me).

So normally on ship visits, you get to browse more of the ship then disembark around 2/3.  However, this was slightly different, we did have to go to a presentation.  This was a bit disappointing for us, as we felt we hadn’t got the full feel of the ship and there were still loads of the ship that we hadn’t seen including the Casino and other bars and restaurants.  However, the presentation from Holland America was interesting as it talked about the new ship Niuew Statendem, which is due to enter the waters in December 2018.

After the presentation, it was time ti disembark the ship as she was due to sail off on her Mediterranean adventure.

My next ship visit now, will be onboard the Britannia so make sure you keep an eye for that blog as there will be plenty of photos on that too.