RedHeadTexan

This is not a tour for casual beer drinkers. If you like craft beers, this is a terrific tour. No need to be bashful about asking for more and they already give you plenty at each stop.

Thank you! A bunch of us from our July 2nd roll call are into craft beers and are doing this tour together. Is the meeting spot at the pier or in town at the shuttle drop off?

Lisa

Oh I love the clothes rack in another room for packing! I'll be getting my clothes rack out soon. Makes packing so much easier! Wow you have a long cruise! I'd probably end up with too much stuff because I tend to overpack. What line are you going on?

 

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We are sailing Holland America's Zaandam. The only reason I can stop myself from over packing is the laundry package. I can send items out and have them back the same or next day.

We will go to Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Icy Strait, Anchorage, Homer, Kodiak, Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, and Victoria. It's out of Seattle. We have been to Ketchikan, Juneau, and Anchorage before, so everything else is new to us. Oh, we will be in Ketchikan on Independence Day. We will be watching the parade and taking in the festivities.

Lisa

We are about a month away from flying to Seattle for our Alaskan cruise. I have the clothes rack in the guest bedroom and slowly figuring out what to bring. Our cruise is 14 days with 3 days pre-cruise in Seattle. Packing for 17 days is a little challenging especially since we are flying.

So far I am bringing 3 pairs of Eddie Bauer Ripstop Cargo pants, 3 pairs of shorts, 4 long sleeve knit tops, 4 short sleeve knit tops, 2 dresses, 2 lightweight tech fabric 3/4 zip pullovers, 1 3/4 zip fleece pullover, and my Patagonia puffer jacket. I pre-purchased the unlimited laundry package, so I am good to go there.

I am also bringing waterproof gloves, a poncho, and a knitted cap. I learned my lesson last time in Alaska, always have waterproof gloves. My Asolo hiking shoes are also coming since they are waterproof.

Lisa

Roger, what are you using for a scanner? I would really like to get one as your photos look really nice.

I have used TurboScan by Piksoft on my iphone for years. It does a fantastic job scanning documents and has the option of photo, b/w, or color.

Looking forward to your thoughts on the Zaandam! Thank you for doing a live report.

Lisa

I will be aboard on Monday and gathering menus.

Thanks Roger! I am looking forward to your posts. We will be onboard in July. :):):)

Lisa and Walt

Thank you SO much, let's hope they survived the dry dock! :D

 

I remember you from the Silhouette Nov. 2017 Roll Call; iirc, we had some rowing discussions back then. Unfortunately, my wife and I had to cancel that cruise. I hope you had a great time!

That's right!!!! You were on the roll call. I love the Zuiderdam and my fingers are crossed that the ergs will still be there in Dec 2019. Happy erging!

Maybe the HAL demographic isn’t familiar with C2s.

 

 

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Outside of the rowing and crossfit communities most people don't know what the word "erg" refers to or Concept2. Sometimes it takes a few days on the more obscure questions for someone that has an answer to see the post. I try to answer the erg questions for the ships I have been on.

Any current information on whether there are any rowing machines/ergometers on the Zuiderdam? If so, do you know if they are Concept 2?

 

Thanks so much!

I was on the Zuiderdam in December 2016 and they had 2 Concept2 ergs. One model D and one model E. As a rower I am always on the lookout for ergs.

Thank you for posting the pictures and review. I just upgraded to a Vista Suite guarantee and was super excited to see your cabin. :)

Lisa

Thank you for posting about this. I have been in meetings all day and was not aware of the $1 deposit. I just booked a December 2019 cruise on the Zuiderdam. :)

Thank you for posting the pictures of the new shower. I am looking forward to hearing what other changes were made in dry dock. Have a wonderful cruise!

Waterproof Gloves.

Lisa

We're three couples researching a 2019 cruise for our respective anniversaries. It's every five years, this time will be 25,30,35 years per couple so ages are mid fifties through early sixties. In 2014 we sailed the Oasis with her 6000 passengers to the Caribbean and had a great time. Looking at getting to Cuba for this one and the Veendam is doing it. This is an older smaller vessel than we have ever sailed, and never having done Holland we're interested in the ship and entertainment aboard her. Is there enough music/bar/club in the evenings for us to have fun....? In order to get to Cuba we'll sacrafice the larger/newer ship just for the experience. Thanks for any help you might be able to provide us.

I have sailed the Oasis and the Veendam's sister ship the old Statendam. Honestly, HAL doesn't come close to the volume and variety of activities and night life of the Oasis class ships. If you want an active night life, then you will probably be disappointed in the Veendam compared to the Oasis. That said, I am 46 and love the more subdued cruising experience on HAL. The Oasis was not a good fit for me, and I spent most of my time reading my book on the balcony and staying away for all the action. I definitely suggest that you look at the Cuba cruises on the other lines and ask questions on their boards too. Good luck with your planning! :)

Lisa

we called here and they added it to our room 1-800-541-1576

Thank you for posting the phone number! I called my PCC a few weeks back and she told me I could not book the laundry package until we were on the ship. I thought that was odd since we have booked it pre-cruise in the past. Anyway, just got off the phone and have it booked for our 14 day Alaskan cruise this Summer. :)

Lisa

Lisa, thank you so much for this recommendation. I just downloaded Melinda Brasher's e-book, and it is chock full of great ideas for excursions and other things to do in the ports.

You are most welcome! I am so happy that you found it helpful. :D

Lisa

Please add us. Thanks! :)

Zaandam - 02-Jul-18 - 14 day Great Alaska Explorer

RedHeadTexan - Lisa and Walt

I have the 14 day HAL cruise booked for this summer. This is our 2nd time to Alaska, so a bunch of what you are not interested in, I did the first time. This go around I am not doing whale watching, bear viewing, or a float plane (though the float plane was amazing). I purchased the e-book Cruising Alaska on a Budget: A Cruise and Port Guide by Melinda Brasher to research other things to do in ports. Her recommendations are great for figuring out what we want to do. Don't focus on the "budget" part of the title. Between this book and researching micro-breweries, I am developing a great game plan for each port.

One thing that I am excited about is we will be in Ketchikan on the July 4th. My plan is to enjoy the parade, festivities and wander around town. Oh, and drink some micro-brews. :D

Lisa

Update. Our TA just gave us an option. A 5 day land then a 7 day cruise. It’s more expensive but we are only going to Alaska once. It’s end of August 1 st of September. Any comments on the dates? Btw it is radiance of the seas

 

 

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We did that same time frame and number of days in 2013 with Holland America. My biggest tip is to pack for every type of weather condition. We had freezing temps and snow in Denali, rainy port days (not heavy rain), and a sunny warm day in Ketchikan. Pack waterproof gloves and shoes...I forgot the gloves and regretted that mistake. It is the end of the season, so the port shopping will be discounted...that was a nice plus.

2018 we are doing a 14 day RT on HAL out of Seattle. I want to go to Kodiak Island. I was fine booking at the end of August/early September, but DH said no. So, we are going in early July and will have the super long days. Oh, you will not have the midnight sun in late August/early September...keep that in mind if that is important to you.

Lisa

Sounds like a great reason to go shopping to me. :D We are driving to Florida for our cruise in less than two weeks. Yesterday I decided to try on some dresses that I want to bring. I realized that my bras show with three of the dresses, so I am heading out this morning to buy a new bra. It's always a good thing to try everything on before packing.

Lisa

That sounds like a great table. Much better to cut on. How do you cut rounded edges with a blade?

It is a rotary blade, so it spins around as I follow the pattern. I have the self healing mats on the table so I don't slice it. The rotary cutter has made the cutting process a lot faster.

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RedHaedTexan,

 

That is a great idea to cut out patterns and put them in a zip lock baggie. I just love that. I brought a cutting table because my back would hurt leaning over a regular table, so mow I can cut out more that one pattern.

 

Tangaloha,

 

I also don't like to do much hand sewing. Only if I have too.

I am fortunate that our kitchen table is counter height, so I can cut there without straining my back. Walt fell in love with that table at the showroom. He is 6'5" and is more comfortable in the taller chairs than a regular table. For me it's the perfect cutting table since I can have two 24x36 cutting mats on it. That gives me a 48x36 cutting surface. I have a piece of packing tape on the bottom to keep them from sliding apart. I cut everything with a rotary blade.

Lisa

I am working on long sleeve dolmans and pajamas right now. I hate neck bands. They just seem to take so much time for a little piece of fabric. Sleeveless tops are the worst with 3 bands. I actually like cutting patterns and will cut a bunch of tops in one sitting. I put the pattern pieces in zip lock baggies and label them. Then I can sew them as I have time.

Lisa

Everything I read said that you risk the two threads tangling if you use the thread guide for both. It fed fine with one on the outside.

Lisa

Well, the twin needle snapped on the 2nd pair of shorts. Material is thin Lycra Spandex, so that should not have caused a new needle to break. $400 on a coverstitch machine is sounding better and better. Even Walt agreed that a new machine would be better than needle tips flying. He was chatting with me when it happened.

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