Dining on Holland America’s Koningsdam Cruise Ship

by Janis on July 16, 2016

We enjoyed trying the new dining options on Holland America’s ms Koningsdam during our July 3rd 7-Day Viking Sagas cruise.

From the fresh fruit plate at breakfast in The Dining Room to the deconstructed apple pie served during A Taste of De Librije, the food choices on the cruise line’s first Pinnacle Class ship offered something for most every taste.

Continuing our photo tour of the ms Koningsdam, here is a look at some of the new ship’s dining venues.

The two-story Dining Room at the aft end of Decks 2 and 3 is beautifully light and airy, even if it does remind you of being inside of a whale. We enjoyed breakfast here several days, although it is best to show up when the restaurant first opens rather than deal with the large crowd that appears 15 – 30 minutes before the scheduled closing time. The same is true for lunch during busy sea days.

We were delighted to find new items on the breakfast menu, and disappointed to learn that the wine bottles in the tower are just for show.

Also on Deck 2, you will find the Culinary Arts Center. On the ms Koningsdam, this area is using for cooking demonstrations during the day, but each evening becomes another dining venue. For a fee of $39 per person, the chefs prepare a 4-course meal using fresh ingredients and different kinds of flavor-enhancing cress. The 7 pm dinner includes a welcome cocktail, and unlimited wine from Snoqualmie Winery in Washington State.

While the food was good, we found this dining venue /concept a little uncomfortable and forced. It seems to be a work in progress.

Further down the hallway of Deck 2 is the Sel De Mer seafood brasserie. This small restaurant is charming, with French-inspired seafood that you order a la carte.

Three, four and five-star Mariners received a 25 – 50 percent discount on their bill, since this is a specialty restaurant.

Everyone dinner at Sel De Mer begins with freshly baked bread, addictive salted butter and a plate of tapenade toppings. We enjoyed the intimate atmosphere and fantastic service provided by Gladys.

On Deck 3, just off of the musically-inspired atrium is the Grand Dutch Cafe.

Holland America Line has hit a home run with this cafe that serves coffee and beer, along with a range of Dutch-inspired snacks.

The Cafe Latte is served in a blue and white Delftware mug with a traditional Dutch cookie. You have to pay for the drinks but the food is complementary. The morning pastries with this coffee make for a quick breakfast at this popular venue.

For a lunch or afternoon snack, the vegetable quiche and salad hits the spot. Orange – the color of Holland – utensils complement the Delftware.

You can keep track of all of the dining venues, their menus and your reservations on the Holland America Navigator app (download and access free on your smartphone) while on board the ms Koningsdam.

This screen shot (pictured above) shows part of the Taste of De Librije menu that is served one night per cruise in the Pinnacle Grill. We loved the food, the wine pairings and the service of this special evening. De Librije is a famous 3-star restaurant in the Netherlands outside of Amsterdam, and food and wine-lovers should not miss this evening on the ms Koningsdam.

For a very casual dining alternative, cruisers on the ms Koningsdam can head to Deck 10 to the New York Pizza & Deli. From bagels for breakfast to New York-style deli sandwiches made to order, this small restaurant over-looking the Lido Pool is open morning to evening. Thin-crust pizzas are made to order, and there’s also salad and dessert options. I would like to have a set of the dishes from this venue.

We did not dine in the Lido Market, which has been upgraded from the standard buffet restaurant with a variety of food stations. We did check out the self-serve beer station at the Lido Bar long enough to take a photo, but we’ll continue to rely on our favorite Holland America bartenders to pour and/or make our drinks.

A favorite of our dining spots on Holland America’s Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam ships, the Asian-inspired Tamarind Restaurant has a new location on the ms Koningsdam.

It is located at the aft end of Deck 10, overlooking the Sea View Pool.

While the Tamarind menu favorites were consistent with the other ships, we appreciated this new soft shell crab appetizer on the ms Koningsdam.

As we enjoyed the gracious service and terrific food of the Tamarind, we also were graced with this view as the ship sailed out The Netherlands into the North Sea, headed to Norway.

There are more dining options on the ms Koningsdam, from cooked-to-order burgers and hot dogs at the Dive-In to 24-hour room service.

Have you sailed on Holland America’s ms Koningsdam, or one of the line’s other cruise ships? What is your favorite dining venue?

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