Click.Write.Post.

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 :) :) :)

Here is another picture from December 2016:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2016/12/05/holland-america-amsterdam-cruise/94983678/

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 read, not much, if anything, was changed in the Interior or Ocean View rooms during dry dock. Have you seen these photos from August 2014?

http://halfacts.com/2671-amsterdam/

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 :) :) :)

I will see what we can do lol. Regardless, enjoy the trip you have planed. :)

We enjoy the Burgers

 

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I have heard they are delicious, and most likely what at least one of us would order. I mean there is Beecher's cheese! How could you go wrong? The warm fudge brownie is calling me name as well!

Does HAL still offer printed versions as well?

As far as I know, it's available on all their ships. We used it on Oosterdam last Fall and loved it. Looking forward to using it again on Eurodam in a few months.

I look forward to using the digital Navigator next month, which will be the first time for us. Thanks for the info!

Sounds like a fantastic trip! I love Alaska and will be going on my 6th Alaskan cruise next month. :)

Are you looking to see a specific type of whale?

I have had great whale watching in Juneau, but also bad whale watching in Juneau. Same with Sitka.

My best consistent whale watching experiences have been in Victoria, BC (or Anacortes, WA).

Best experience was the one and only time I went out of Roche Harbor, San Jan Island, Washington-but that is not Alaska or a port on an Alaskan cruise.

I have going whale watching other places as well, and I would highly recommend Maui in January or February.

Happy to answer any questions you might have.

Going on a cruise next summer, and plan on staying over a few days at the end of the cruise (disembarking in Seward) to do some fishing and sight seeing. What is the best port/area for halibut? I am willing to "go the extra mile" to find the best fishing. That being said, I can't go out to Dutch Harbor, which is what I would really like to do. :-)

While I personally haven't fished for halibut, I have heard that Ketchikan is good for halibut fishing. If your cruise stops in Ketchikan, you might want to check it out.

 

 

Hi All,

 

Just booked the Alaska 12 day Denali by Rail on the Norwegian Jewel for June 2019. We cruised the Inside Passage already and hubby was hooked and wanted to see more. Since we now have more time in our schedules we decided to try this land and cruise combination.

 

This was on our bucket list, is there any must sees while we are on land? We are in Fairbanks for two days to start our trip with sometime to explore on our own. I have just started doing research so we are not sure how much time we will have at other stops so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thank you

We did a cruise tour that left from Fairbanks. Our first day, on our own, we rented a car and drove to North Pole for the novelty of saying we had been to the North Pole. That evening we drove to Creamers Field Nature Trail and walked a short trail before returning our car and arranging a ride back to our hotel. The next day our cruise tour began and we spent the morning on the Riverboat Discovery, which we really enjoyed. If that is not included in your cruise tour, it might be something you would want to do on your own; more information is found on their website and you don't have to be part of a cruise tour to purchase tickets. It is a three hour tour that is very interactive, includes snacks like blueberry donuts and smoked salmon tastings, and afterwards they offer a lunch that we also really enjoyed. The most memorable thing served at lunch was the salad. I loved the salad so much I downloaded their dressing recipe and make in all year long. :)

Happy Planning!

We are considering our first Alaska cruise for 2019 and would like input into must see ports before choosing our itinerary. Also what my be the best month, June, July or August?

I have complete 5 Alaskan cruises, with another Alaskan cruise happening next month.

I have been to: Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Haines, Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Juneau, Ketchikan, Seward, Sitka and Skagway. Each port has pros and cons depending on what you like to do. Also, it is a rain forest throughout Southeast Alaska so always expect (and prepare) for rain and be pleasantly surprised if it doesn't rain.

Ports are important when planing a cruise, but there are a few other things to consider as well. 1. Cruise only or Land Tour (before always before the cruise)? 2. Inside Passage (usually cruises out of Vancouver) or West of Vancouver Island (usually cruises out of Seattle)? 3. Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm, or Hubbard Glacier? 4. Cruise Line?

May - September: Any month is a good month; you are in Alaska! One thing that may matter to your timing is the salmon run or other fish runs, especially if you want to fish for something specific.

I would be happy to answer specific questions you may have about anything I mentioned above or even something I may have missed about my time in Alaska. I truly love visiting Alaska and have done a variety of excursions (Ship sponsored, private, on my own) as well.

Best of luck as you plan your trip! Alaska is a beautiful place.

Just go to the Pinnacle Grill once you are onboard and ask.

 

It's totally at the discretion of the ship. Usually only sea days, never embarkation day but I have seen it open on certain port days on some cruises.

 

It might not look full, but it's wise to make a reservation rather than be dissapointed. They tend to book reservations at either 12 noon or 12:30.

Thank you for your reply.

We board the Amsterdam next Sunday. In the past, we’ve had dinner at the Pinnacle Grill, but I always come away unimpressed. It’s nice, but I’d like to try the lunch there instead. What days would it be open and are reservations needed?

Thank you

Did you find out what days the Pinnacle Grill is open for lunch? We sail in August and have wondered the same thing.

We just returned from this cruise last week. It was OUTSTANDING! I will share my review soon.

Such fantastic news! I will be on this cruise next month and can't wait!

+1 - I'm interested to know/see pics about recent refresh of bathrooms in ocean view cabins. Thanks!

I will be on the ship in an ocean view next month. I will take a picture and post it for you.

Know Before You Go

HOLLAND AMERICA LINE NAVIGATOR

Manage your cruise with our free, mobile-friendly tool. Once you’re on the ship, use your smart phone, tablet or laptop to plan your

day’s activities, browse and purchase tours, look at menus and make restaurant reservations, peruse spa treatments, check your accountbalance, purchase internet access and more. You don’t have todownload anything in advance, it’s easy to use and free of charge.

Getting started is simple. Once on the ship, connect with yourship’s Wi-Fi and open your device’s web browser and Navigator

should open automatically. You won’t incur Internet or cellular datacharges when using Navigator.

Is this available on all ships? I will be on the ms Amsterdam next month.

We did the land-sea tour from Fairbanks to Seward where we boarded the Noordam to Vancouver.

I will do a full trip report once I get things settled back here at home.

 

This was our first cruise and while we had a great time and saw lots of Alaska, We don't think cruising is our thing. No particular reason though!

HAL was very organized and everything went smoothly thruout the whole trip. I have no other ship to compare this one to so I can't say much about that subject. It does need some updating but was fine for us.

 

Lots of the tips we received from this forum were helpful and some didn't apply to us at all. No need for magnet hooks in SS 8058. Nothing metal! Maybe the inside cabins?

No need for highlighters. The navigator App showed everything that was going on for the day. Just add to your itinerary and you were set for the day!

 

If I can answer any questions, please ask. I will try to get a report done soon! There were both pros and cons but like

I sad, it was a great trip and Alaska is amazing!

What is the Navigator App? Is it for your mobile phone?

We're booked on the Noordam for the land/cruise tour starting 8/30. First time with HAL but have cruised a lot. Also first time to Alaska. Not finding a lot of info on HAL's site about how the land/cruise works. We will arrive in Fairbanks in the early hours of 8/30, so I booked a room at the same hotel we will stay at with HAL. So my question is how it works going to Denali National Park. Do we go on buses? And how does the luggage work? I've read some where you just need an overnight bag for the Denali portion and the rest of your luggage goes to the ship ... is that correct? We upgraded our trip from Denali to Seward to be on the train. Has anyone done that and is it worth it? Lastly, in Denali, I did not see any excursion options. Do we have time or does HAL organize any of that?

 

I have been on about 10-12 cruises but never with Holland and never a land portion. Just unclear as to how it all works. Thanks in advance for any advice you can give!

My husband and I did a similar land tour, D5L. We arrived in Fairbanks after midnight and took a bus transfer to our hotel.

The first day in Fairbanks we rented a car and drove out to North Pole. We were instructed to put our luggage outside our room that night and it would be taken on a separate transfer vehicle to our hotel in Denali.

The next morning was an early start, where we boarding buses to the Riverboat Tour (which we loved), lunch was provided after the riverboat tour, and then we boarded a bus to Denali.

We stayed two night in Denali. Nothing was planned for the first night. Again we had an early morning wake up to catch the bus into Denali provided by HAL. The Denali tour was very long and not as enjoyable as we would have hoped. They provided snack bags. That night we put our bags out again for transfer to Anchorage.

The next morning we took a bus to the train station where we boarded the glass domed train. Again we loved this part of the trip, probably our most favorite part. They do take breakfast orders, which we didn't know before boarding the train and would have preferred to eat on board than at our hotel. You have assign seating on the train. Each train car has a bartender and a tour guide, or just one that serves as both. You can get up and walk around the train. Lunch is served on the train, not included in the price, and we enjoyed the experience of having lunch on board. There is a dining car with white table cloths. You can order some snacks that will be delivered to your seats.

After a long, but enjoyable trip, we arrived in Anchorage, boarded yet another bus to our hotel. Our bus driver wanted to give us a tour of the city, but most of us were ready to get to the hotel and stretch our legs.

Once we were checked in to our hotel, we walked in to town and found a place for dinner. That night our luggage was to be put out again for transport to Seward. We took the train from Anchorage to Seward, which wasn't as nice as the previous train but we still enjoyed the experience. The train pulled up almost to the ship, but we did have to walk a little bit in the poring rain to get on the ship.

My in-laws took the bus from Anchorage to Seward and they made stops along the way, including a stop at Turnnigan Arm to see Beluga Whales! I think they also stopped at a place for snacks.

I found the hotel beds to be uncomfortable, and the rooms to be noisy. I was happy to have the land tour first so I could relax on the cruise. Also, the stretch between Seward and the first stop can have lots of motion in the Gulf of Alaska. I recommend medication to help control seasickness. My father-in-law didn't take anything and he had trouble through the night and the next morning. The rest of us had no troubles and enjoyed our sea day.

I am happy to answer any other questions. I hope this quick review helps!

We were in Ketchikan last week and really enjoyed the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. The show is funny and the lumberjacks are very talented. We had people in our group from age 17 to 79 and fun was had by all! It's relatively inexpensive compared to a lot of excursions and then Creek Street was a fun area to walk around. Ketchikan definitely has the best prices for souvenirs. Be sure to walk past Creek Street and see the Salmon Ladder. We saw lots of salmon swimming in the creek. We had lunch at Alaska Fish House. Excellent fish and chips. Beautiful setting right on the water. Our other ports had very expensive tours so this was a enjoyable relatively inexpensive day. Such a cute little town. I'd love to go back sometime.

We also really enjoyed the lumberjack show; it was very entertaining! Sounds likes you had a perfect day in Ketchikan.

We just returned yesterday and went halibut fishing in Ketchikan. On its way home now to enjoy. It was a rush. We caught many plus cod and rockfish. Best day ever.

Oh man! That sounds like a fabulous excursion. I will put that on the list to try sometime!

We did the deadliest catch boat tour. It was entertaining! We had done the misty fjords trip too. It was like 5-6 hours and honestly I thought it was really boring. I think I napped.

 

 

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Same here! The Deadliest Catch tour was very entertaining and there are hands on moments. The misty fjords trip by boat was an expensive, cold nap for me.

I recommend the Deadliest Catch excursion. It was so much fun. the ship's captain and crew are from the show. They were great.

Eagle viewing on this excursion was amazing.

I second this recommendation. One of my favorite tours I've done.

The 14-day does sail both the inside passage and “out to sea”.

 

 

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To clarify a little about the Inside Passage, this cruise does not do the same inside passage (the east side of Vancouver Island) as a HAL cruise out of Vancouver does. I, too, am considering this itinerary even though I would be sad to miss the cruise up and down the east side of Vancouver Island.

Also, the sailing on the west side of Vancouver Island can get the ship rolling a bit as you are not protected by the island.

I find the interior of the ships to be on the cooler side, and usually have a layer with me while walking around the ship, that extra layer comes in handy in the dining rooms and theaters just to name a few places.

Last year pre-cruise, we stayed at the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront. The room was nice and we had a view of the harbour. I don't recall it being crazy expensive. We watched the seaplanes when we were resting in the room. Otherwise, we spent our time outside walking around town. Meat & Bread is good for lunch, especially the porchetta sandwich. In the gaslamp district, which we walked to, we had dinner at The Flying Pig. I recall the dinner being good, but the dessert was amazing. It was yellow cake with chocolate frosting and it was perfect. We brought the cake leftovers back to the room and finished them off while watching the water.

On the day of our cruise, we stowed our luggage with the hotel while we walked to brunch at Cafe Medina. Then it was back to the hotel, and a quick cab ride to the cruise terminal. You can walk, but with luggage we opted not to.