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Close up of embarkation day handouts. Also, the only outlet we could find was located here at the vanity/desk. The top drawer housed a portable vanity mirror and a modern hairdryer.

Minibar setup. Ocean view and inside staterooms are not equipped with a mini fridge on the ms Amsterdam.

Ample closet storage with an extra closet

Closets convert to accommodate hanging or folded items.

Continued in next post...

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Our stateroom on Deck 1 (Dolphin Deck) Starboard side. Most of not all staterooms on Deck 1 look similar if not identical to this according to our room stewards.

Room stewards: Sapto and Asep; Asep will be heading home soon.

Hallway, Deck 1, Starboard side

Stateroom 1867

Door on left leads to bathroom, door on right is one of the closets. Orange curtain can be pulled closed to provide privacy between main area and hallway leading to bathroom and stateroom door or it can be pushed in between closets to be tucked out of the way.

Stateroom 1867 adjoins Stateroom 1869

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Thank you for your reply and the photo.

I didn’t try one until the halfway point of the cruise. You can bet that I made up for missing out on them.

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Thanks so much for the review! Looking forward to pictures. We will be on her next year and have been thinking about the

Wildlife Safari & Beach Bonfire” excursion. Would you recommend it?

Yes, we recommend it. We will do a more in depth review soon.

This is a picture from the beach at Annette Island where we were dropped off for our bonfire.

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Thank you for reviewing your cruise.

 

You mentioned fantail rolls, are they a type of bread roll?

Yes, they are! Rosemary, oregano, red chili flake, olive oil all mixed in the dough.

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Background: My husband (42) and I (38) sailed with Holland America Line round-trip Seattle, Washington exploring ports in Alaska and Canada. This is our fourth cruise to Alaska together, and our sixth cruise overall together. All but one of these cruises have been with Holland America Line, and we have not repeated a ship yet.

Travel To Port: We flew non-stop with Delta Airlines from Salt Lake City, UT to Seattle, WA the day before our cruise departed Seattle.

We took the Sound Transit Light Rail from SEA-TAC airport to Westlake Station, the stop closest to our hotel, about three blocks away and mostly flat sidewalks the entire way except for the last half block or so. The cost for two adults was $6.00 USD one-way and took between 45 minutes and 1 hour.

Hotel, pre-cruise: We stayed downtown Seattle at The Warwick. We booked a summer discount rate and signed up for their hotel loyalty program which waved the Seattle Urban Retreat fee of $15.00 plus tax USD for an overall cost of $243.72 USD.

Upon checking in at the hotel we received a card for 2 complimentary welcome drinks, one per person, along with a voucher for $5.00 USD off food with a minimum purchase amount both redeemable at the hotel restaurant, Margaux. We were not able to use either voucher due to schedule restraints.

Seattle, pre cruise:The night before the cruise we walked around downtown Seattle, stopping for various treats and sites along the way.

On the morning of embarkation we arranged a food tour with Savor Seattle called the “Early Access VIP Food Tour of Pike Place Market.” We highly recommend booking a food tour with Savor Seattle.

Embarkation:The ms Amsterdam was berthed at Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91 next to the Emerald Princess. We took a taxi from our hotel to the cruise terminal for $13.90 USD and took 11 minutes. We arrived at Pier 91 at 12:00 PM. We completed embarkation procedures in 20 minutes.

Ship Information:The ms Amsterdam, an R-class ship built in 2000, recently came out of dry dock in May 2018. We were very happy with the overall condition of the ship and would gladly sail with her again.

Crew:

• Captain: Jonathan Mercer
  
• Cruise Director: Hamish Davis
  
• Hotel Director: Norbert Kovacs
  
• Room Stewards: Sapto and Asep
  

Stateroom: When we booked our cruise, only 19 days out from departure, we decided to roll the dice and book and ocean view guarantee category HH. We were assigned a category D stateroom, 1867 located on the starboard side of Deck 1. It appears that the stateroom did not receive any upgrades during the most recent dry dock; however, it was in great shape with ample storage.

Service: The service was fantastic. We can see why this ship is designated for World Voyages.

Dining: We were assigned to As You Wish dining, which worked out well for us because we enjoyed spending time in port without having to rush back to an assigned dining time.

Casual Dining:

• Lido Market: Meals were hit and miss. The biggest hit, for me at least, was the fantail rolls offered in the Lido Market only during lunch located by the salad bar.
  
• Dive-In: We had a hotdog, a burger, and fries-all hits. Additionally, we sampled chicken fajitas and guacamole from the taco bar located next to Dive-In, also a hit when we remember it is there.
  
• 24-hour In-Room Dining: We ordered In-Room dining on our first sea day and when in Ketchikan. Everything arrived as requested and allowed us either a leisurely morning to sleep in or a quick bite to eat while we got ready for an early morning excursion.
  
• Explorations Café: We ordered mint hot chocolate and Americanos. We did not request any of the available complimentary treats located at the café.
  

Fine Dining:

• Dining Room: We had a few breakfasts and dinners in the Dining Room. Again the meals were hit and miss. The biggest hit for us was the Thai Crispy Spring Roll starter offered at dinner the night we called on Victoria.
  
• Pinnacle Grill: We had lunch at the Pinnacle Grill, which had to be one of our most favorite meals of this cruise. We had Spinach Arugula Salad, Pinnacle Burger, and Warm Fudge Brownie-all were very good, with another standout being the Beukenhorst coffee served only in the Pinnacle Grill.
  

Activities: We enjoyed the activities offered and didn’t find that we had “hmmmm, what to do now” moments.

Entertainment: We attended a few of the evening shows, but found that we preferred enjoying the interactive live music in the Piano Bar each night when offered.

Ports of Call:

• Sea Day: Sailing west of Vancouver Island means sea conditions can, and will vary. Be prepared for lots of motion and take the necessary precautions to avoid seasickness. One guest we met relayed that they received a medicinal shot from the onboard medical staff sometime during the second night to ease their seasickness symptoms.
  
• Juneau: Overcast with rain in the Valley, but not in Port until later in the evening. We purchased tickets to Mount Roberts Tramway at the tram station for $68.00 USD for 2 adults.
  
• Hubbard Glacier: The sail to Yakutat Bay was quite foggy as was the bay. Visibility was quite reduced until we were within three-quarters mile from the glacier. We viewed the glacier from one-half mile away.
  
• Sitka: The sun was out with some clouds. After taking the complimentary shuttle into town, we walked to Sitka National Historic Park and to the Alaska Raptor Center. We purchased tickets at the Alaska Raptor Center for $28.00 USD for 2 adults.
  
• Ketchikan: There was a light to medium rain with no sun peeking through.We purchased a ship excursion called “Wildlife Safari & Beach Bonfire” presented by Allen Marine, and had a wonderful time. The price for 2 adults was $399.90 USD.
  
• Victoria, BC: We walked from the cruise terminal to Ogden Point Breakwater and back to the ship stopping to purchase a souvenir from a local artist with a booth set up just outside the security check point.
  

Disembarkation: We selected Port Valet without an airport transfer and self-disembarkation. We were assigned Group B and were off the ship just prior to 7:45 AM.

Seattle, post cruise: We took a taxi from Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91 for $16.00 USD and within 12 minutes were at Seattle’s Public Market. We spent about an hour at the market before walking to the Westlake Station and taking the Sound Transit Light Rail to the airport. The cost for two adults was $6.00 USD one-way and took between 45 minutes and 1 hour.

Cruise Statistics:

• Officers & Crew: 604
  
• Nationalities of Crew: 32
  
• Average Speed: 16.8 knots
  
• Miles Traveled: 2,345 miles
  
• Fuel Used: 184,920 gallons
  
• Eggs Consumed: 20,000
  

Wrap-up: It was a wonderful 7-days onboard the ms Amsterdam. We will provide more detailed posts with pictures regarding our experience on this cruise as time allows over the next few weeks.

We are happy to answer any questions. Thank you for reading!

Clicke.Write.Post - if you get a chance to sneak a peek into any interior rooms (and snap a surreptitious photo or 3 of the room and or bath) it would be appreciated. Especially if it just so happened to be 2619 :) :) :)

From what I have seen and been told, you may have one of the upgraded bathrooms. We are disembarking early tomorrow so I won’t be able to peak in the room.

Deck 7 looks to have received a new color scheme in those rooms. We are on Deck 1 and the color scheme is still the orange, green, white/beige.

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Click.Write.Post - I’m curious to know what the Internet packages are on the Amsterdam. If you could take a photo of that advertisement and post it at your leisure I would really appreciate it. I’m hoping the Amsterdam starts using the “unlimited” plans (and not the minutes packages) since I’m on the 2019 World Cruise. Thanks in advance.

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Thank you for posting pictures of the updated ms Amsterdam! I can't wait to call her home for 7 days! :)

Greetings,

 

We had booked a cruise on board a HAL ship a few months ago and have just made final payment. The day after final payment, the price dropped by almost $400 per pax.

 

This hasn't happened to us on HAL for a while. In the past, (when priced dropped after final) we have been given OBC's, and more recently, a credit for a future cruise, but that was a couple years ago.

 

Can anyone tell us what the HAL current practice is for providing any compensation for price drops after final payment?

 

These drops really discourage folks from booking ahead and I'm sure the cruise line would rather keep people booking months ahead, but given the downturn in the cruise industry as recently reported, they should be doing something to take care of their returning passengers when the price drops after final.

 

Thanks for any recent information anyone can provide on HAL's current practices.

 

Cheers

 

Cruisepucks:cool:

I can't tell you HAL's current practice, but a similar situation just happened to us as well. I called my TA and they called HAL, but HAL wouldn't do anything for us this time. This has happened in the past to us and HAL has typically offered a free upgrade, but not this time. The TA was surprised and commented that HAL is usually willing to do something when this happens. I considered calling again, but haven't at this time.

Good luck!

So, on the food subject, I have read people saying they have bought a box lunch to bring on the tour with them, but have also read upon boarding the bus there is a snack box in the seat for each person. Are both necessary, or will 1 suffice for the day?

If I remember correctly, my husband I bought a box lunch from our hotel, Grand Denali Lodge, to share and then each had a snack box, which worked out well for us. It was packed in a insulated bag the size of a larger than average brown lunch sack.

8 vessels that were built in the late 90s/early aughts for Renaissance cruise line. They fit 680-720 passengers, depending on configuration. It's a great size for us.

 

I should note that I don't cruise often. When I do, it tends to be a first overview of an area I've not been before to see where I might want to do more in depth exploring. Except Alaska -I cruise Alaska because it's a great way to see the area. I don't need entertainment or 17 restaurants and a water slide. I'm happy with my binoculars, a book, a bottle of wine and my balcony. I like being able to get to places quickly and not have to walk and walk down corridors. I like when a ship can sail up the river and dock in town in Bangkok or turn around in one of the smaller inlets in Glacier Bay (as the R class ships can do). Just my personal preference.

 

 

HAL ships go from 2666 down to 1258. The lovely Maasdam, the first cruise I took with my husband ;-)

I should have clarified by saying the larger ships on HAL that sail to Alaska lol like the Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam per HAL's website. The Nieuw Statendam is at 2666 but does not sail to Alaska, at least not yet. One of my favorite ships was the Volendam, because of it size and midweek sailing meant less people in ports vs the weekend sailings that a lot of the major cruse lines do. :)

So for you the balcony is worth the $..I would think that especially on this particular cruise the balcony might be worth the money..thanks..

One thing to consider about balconies is how much time to you plan to be out there and is it worth the extra cost. Alaska is a port intensive itinerary especially out of Vancouver so how much time do you have to be out there. One of the neat feature of cruising Glacier Bay is the ship's bow is open for you to access during the sailing. The Crow's Nest is enclosed on Deck 11 (Nieuw Amsterdam) and Deck 9 (ms Volendam). There is a naturalist on board during the Glacier Bay sailing to narrate what you are seeing and they are stationed in the Crow's Nest and usually can be heard through the ships PA system.

Best of luck making your decision. If you would like a breakdown of my cabin choices to Alaska, I have included them below. :)

Here is a breakdown of my trips and the cabins I have chosen. I have done inside, ocean view, and balconies in Alaska.

September 2010: Balcony with Plexiglass, Covered, Forward Deck 5 on ms Oosterdam. When weather was good, one day, I spent time out on deck. Most of the time weather was rainy and I was exposed to the elements.

May 2012: Inside Cabin, Aft Deck 7 on ms Voledam. I am not a fan of inside cabins, but the access the the "private" public deck at the Aft of Deck 7 was perfect.

May 2013: Booked an Ocean View on ms Westerdam and was upgraded for free to Balcony Aft Deck 4 no cover from the elements. It was so hot on some days, we couldn't spend time on the balcony and on rainy days there was no cover from the rain. Another interesting thing with Aft balconies is the soot from the ships stack gets on the furniture and has to be wiped down before use.

September 2015: Ocean View on Celebrity's Infinity

September 2016: Ocean View on ms Nordam - This was a great cruise because we did the land tour D5L before the cruise and had great weather from Denali to Anchorage on the train.

April 2017: Booked an Ocean View on ms Amsterdam and was upgraded for free to a balcony. This trip wasn't Alaska, but a Pacific Coastal cruise from San Diego to Vancouver and the weather mostly was wet and rainy like Alaska can be so we didn't use our balcony that much.

August 2018: Booked an Ocean view on the ms Amsterdam, haven't received our room assignment yet.

Unless there is a really great deal or I get upgraded for free, I still choose ocean view rooms, but there is my personal perference.

I notice Princess offers all the excursions on line and they can be selected at the time of booking..Pros and cons?????

Unless there is something you absolutely don't want to miss out on, I purchase my ship excursions on board because the cost of the excursion adds extra sea days on my loyalty account with Holland America Line. Each cruise line has a loyalty program and reward you in different ways. If you plan on cruising a lot, it can be helpful to pick a line, stick with them (if you like them) and rack up those extra perks.

I also will purchase private excursions at times rather than through the ship.

What is "R" class ? I'm thinking I would prefer a larger ship just because there would be more to see and just to simply enjoy the majesty of it..What do you like about smaller ships and dislike about larger ones?

Even the small ships still have around 1400 guests onboard not including crew. The larger ships on Holland America Line can have up to 2200 or so guests onboard.

I am going on the Volendam/HAL. I chose it for the R/T out of Vancouver. I know the entertainment is probably kinda blah. That's ok. I hear the food is decent and it only holds about 1400 passengers. Maybe you would like NCL for their entertainment if that is what is important to you. Be sure and save $$$ for the excursions. That is what Alaska is all about I have read.

I loved this ship and this itinerary when I did it back in May 2012. You will have a fantastic time. There are some "hidden" less known public balconies on the aft that I spent plenty of time on watching the wilderness and wildlife as we passed by.

Looked at the Princess website..Looks like a lot of options and prices really seem to vary a lot between cruise lines and even with the same cruise lines..Gets very confusing..Lots of options with Princess..Just wondering if Princess is as nice as Holland America..

While I have sailed both with Holland America and Princess, I have not sailed on both to Alaska. I sailed on the Sapphire Princess with Princess Cruises to Mexico and based on that experience would not sail with them again. I have sailed to Alaska with Holland America Line and Celebrity and had great experiences with both lines.

I believe that Vancouver sailings are a bit more expensive for a few reasons. The ships navigate west of Vancouver Island to sail the southern Inside passage and I believe that route is more time intensive. There could be higher costs sailing to and from a foreign port. This is just my opinion and maybe a call to the cruise line could answer the question in cost. I think the extra dollars are worth the southern Inside passage views as there is so much more to see versus sailing the open Ocean to and from Seattle.

You could go North or South one-way starting or ending in Vancouver for less than roundtrip Vancouver, but you will usually have higher airfare costs.

Also, not all cruises out of Vancouver do the Southern Inside Passage, but I believe all Holland America Line cruises do.

We usually book a ocean view (no balcony) and we have been upgraded to balcony rooms at no charge. Buy private balconies are hit and miss in Alaska because of weather. Save the money and book an ocean view room for the natural light and the ability to check what is going on outside and then go to the 360-walk around Promenade deck on Holland America Line or one of the upper decks or even the Crow's Nest (inside) or bow when open for great views and food/drink service.

Glacier Bay is very nice to see and many Holland America Line routes do spend a day cruising Glacier Bay. We are visiting Hubbard Glacier for the first time and have heard it is quite lovely as well.

All and all, do what works best for you and your budget. May and September have less expensive prices (usually) than June, July, and August.

What other questions do you have?

Can anyone recommend the Tundra Wilderness Tour out of

Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. Sounds like a long day on a school bus, but I'm adventuresome. Is it worth the effort to do? Most people take the shorter Natural History Tour. Thoughts on either or both? Will be there in 34 days!:p

I was on the longer tour. I love wildlife, but it was a LONG day on an uncomfortable bus. My husband is 6'1" and he was very uncomfortable. If we went back to Denali, I don't think we would do the bus tour a second time.

Have cruised before but not for many years..Wanting to plan an Alaskan cruise for no more than 7 nights leaving from either Seattle or Vancouver..We are a married couple in early 60's and think we want to do the Inside Passage....We think we prefer a larger ship with good on board show..Suggestions on ship, itineraries, best time to travel, things to do, things to see, things to avoid, and everything else really appreciated..Thanks..

It you want true Inside Passage, look for a round trip or one-way cruise out of Vancouver. Holland America Line has some fantastic options. May and September are generally less expensive than June, July, and August. Holland America Line's (HAL) ms Volendam does a mid week to mid week 7 day round trip our of Vancouver, but the ship isn't as big as say the HAL ms Nieuw Amsterdam, which sales weekend day to weekend day generally. Alaska is quite beautiful and some of the most scenic cruising is east of Vancouver Island.

What more would you like to know? I have cruised to Alaska with two cruise lines, Holland America Line and Celebrity. I have done just about every itinerary option out there so I am happy to share my experiences with you.

First and foremost, ENJOY your cruise!! Put that at the top of your “to do” list!

Thank you so much! We will! :)

How much is lunch at the PG?

 

 

Kevin

 

Noordam, 2008 - Eurodam, 2008 - Liberty of the Seas, 2009 - Solstice, 2010 - Eurodam, 2010 Nieuw Amsterdam, 2011 - Nieuw Amsterdam, 2012 - Nieuw Amsterdam, 2012 - Nieuw Amsterdam, 2018, Nieuw Ameterdam, 2018

I've read that it is $10 USD per person. 3 Star Mariners and up receive a discounted price as I understand it.

Yes. Download it to your phone on boarding. Then while in airplane mode, log on and check your on board account, view activities, view photos that may have been taken while boarding or during the evenings. You can do most of that on the screen in your stateroom too - but you need to register your account and they give you a username. I was skeptical at first but it turned out to be useful. You can also (apparently) use it to message others in your party but they have to go into the app to see messages (they don't pop up or appear in your message app.

This is great! I can't wait to try out this new to me feature! It was available on our last cruise early last year.

The last time I had a Pinnacle Grill lunch my friend and I ordered all of the desserts. We definitely liked one the best (although I can’t remember which but it wasn’t the brownie) but ate all of them so as not to waste food!

 

I’ve never been impressed with the PG dinners but the PG lunch is the best!

You sound like my kind of person, all the desserts please! We are spending a day before the cruise in Seattle and I have already picked out 6 cupcakes I want to try at Cupcake Royale. ;)

One of the features I liked on the Navigator App was the ability to view the menus for the main dining room. Each morning I would pull up the menus on my iPad and take a screen shot and save the photos. By doing so, I was able to easily include each day's menu on my blog posts and it was much easier than taking a photo of the actual menu in the dining room.

 

I did use the message feature some as well. It works like a text message, but does not give any alert when a message is received which would be helpful. But...if you are anticipating a message, it did the trick. Often times we were just trying to figure out where to meet up with our friends...or where they were sitting in the theater, etc. and in those cases I just kept checking until it arrived.

I have enjoyed reading about your most recent adventure on the Zandaam. That new shower set up looks great!

Click.Write.Post - I’m curious to know what the Internet packages are on the Amsterdam. If you could take a photo of that advertisement and post it at your leisure I would really appreciate it. I’m hoping the Amsterdam starts using the “unlimited” plans (and not the minutes packages) since I’m on the 2019 World Cruise. Thanks in advance.

I will see what I can find out. I better start a list of "to do's" lol.