Just finishing up a one week cruise from Amsterdam to the fjords of Norway on the Koningsdam. We had a marvelous time, blessed with calm seas and (unusually) nice weather. Never opened an umbrella all week, although it was misty and cloudy in Bergen, as expected (less than 50 days of sun a year).
First, we do not cruise with who we euphemistically call “the others.” As obnoxious as that sounds, it is just our way of making a cruise ship filled with thousands more intimate. Thus, we never once ate in the Lido or main dining room, so I cannot share any comments in that regard. We ate every evening in a specialty restaurant (three nights complimentary via TA and HAL), had breakfast/room service on the veranda of our Neptune suite daily (delivered timely and hot and correct), and lunch was either (preferably) at a restaurant in port or at one of the smaller venues onboard (liked the NY deli and Dutch cafe), or we just grabbed some of the small plates/snacks from the Neptune lounge.
Some hints/reflections:
Staying in a Neptune suite is the ultimate in luxury. Spacious. Beautiful with amenities well worth the cost. We were in 7066, just down the hall from the lounge. The concierges are delightful and so helpful and knowledgeable. No need to go to the front desk for anything. Really VIP treatment. Great bathrobes. Divine shower... best in 35+ cruises, with great water pressure and constant temps. This was a 35th anniversary splurge but we already decided to cruise less often but only stay in a suite going forward. Note: only a person weighing under a hundred pounds could possibly use the narrow tub. Sadly, neither of us fit that description.