VintageCheap

@techteach Thanks.  Too bad about food problems up there.  Years ago the lines would send officers to CC events and hand out phone numbers and beg us to call before firing up the printing presses.  I remember one large and smoky vessel with fourteen dining venues there was no table clearing in the MDR and the lines snaked around the ship.  I called it in and got strawberries and bubbly delivered all week.    

To finish up Gala Night, we got in at least three hours of ballroom dancing.  The Queens Room Orchestra did not disappoint.  

We ran up to the 10:00 Hollywood theme main show and liked it.  Fourteen cast and a live orchestra is not a sign of cutbacks to me.  

Breakfast was in Lido as I had the idea I'd find Eggs Benedict made from salmon.  Not an obvious offer.  One morning in MDR I ordered pancakes and got two silver dollar sized ones.  

We went to two dance classes.  We picked up a needed series of Salsa moves.  We are bad at Salsa this was helpful.  The key to the dance is hips not steps actually.  And we got a concept on quickstep.  DW liked a weather lecture.  

We got the last table in a packed Golden Lion for lunch. 

The pokey upgraded Internet worked well enough for bits of college football.  We are now not far from California so the digital rights thing was not a problem as we are not in Canada.  

Good vegetarian and fish choices ruled dinner again for us.  We packed, and passed on even more dancing in Queens Room.  The Irish duo reminded us of Dublin.   

All in all it was a whirlwind three days.  We'd go again in a minute. 

Duo Penache led off a nice ballroom set in the Queens Room on Gala Night.  There were no sequence dances called, a feature we remember from QM2 years ago.  The tightly packed dance floor those days we don't miss.   Lots of Cha Cha.  

MDR dinner was again good.  We are leaning vegetarian and there were lovely choices.

Attire for male guests was a dark suit as an average.

No signs of indoor cigarette smoke. On Some lines in the lobby areas it wafts in from the casino.  

We have perfect sea day weather.  There is an amazing amount to do on the ship.  Online reports of entertainment cutbacks should be viewed skeptically.  There is an evening of ballroom dancing on offer.  

MDR service was speedy and cheerful.  Bar service the same.  I will admit to trying the buffet Margarita pizza.  This is best made in Rome, and is hard to duplicate elsewhere.  The crust needs to be fluffy and the cheese minimalistic.  It was good.  Other, lesser lines have cardboard pizza.  

The appetizers in MDR were well executed but in miniature.  Guest driven food waste on cruise liners is not a good thing.  

The Edwardian Internet speed I remember from prior voyages on this line was not ruined by a dozen new Starlink antennas.  

Our Meet and Mingle, apparently one of a series of three was depressing- only in that most were staying on for weeks I have to leave soon.  

The in room tea service is decadent.    None at all or a coffee flavored machine is the best other lines can manage.  The half and half in the silent mini fridge was thoughtful.

Chair Yoga was packed. 

MDR dinner was lovely.  I liked all the selections.  Service was cheerful and fast.

We had a delay loading stores so left few hours late.

I was eager to get to the Queens Room for dancing at 630.  After a few warm ups the Orchestra arrived for the 715 show.  There were eight musicians and each dance was called in advance.   So far so good.  

Probably the entry level of the frequent guest program "red" nothing alarming. 

We were in a pre opening line 

at 11:21 and got to a crowded pre board seating /waiting area by 12:00.  Boarding started 12:15.  Pro tip: N95 mask.  A guess is the proper published 1400 arrival would skip such a waiting area.  1235 seated in Golden Lion, first NA ale in hand 1247. 

The GPS unit does not transmit so should not bother any ship systems or cause regulatory issues in ports.  Many cell phones and tablets have GPS chips inside. 

Crazed for Dim Sum I insisted we walk to the Chinatown area.  After seeing a lot of closed shop gates and addicts on the sidewalk DW decided we needed to leave the area at once.   The place we are staying @Richards and Robson is tidy and vibrant.  We chose Tractor again for the tomato soup and avocado toast.  

Breakfast was complicated - Tractor was open but had no hot beverages or bakery.  So Tim Horton provided the tea.  There is a selection of exotic take out hipster street food nearby, unpopular on this forum.

The next decision- how soon to 

arrive at the port.  We are in Steerage and can claim to have limited paperwork in hand- all my planning energy was used up on the family reunion cruise last week.

51 minutes ago, techteach said:

I hope you don’t mind if I jump in with you. We arrived from Seattle this morning and were at the Westin. Lunch at Cordero’s was great. A beautiful day to sit on the deck with wine and tapas. LOTS of people going past on the route to Stanley Park. Thanks for starting the post @VintageCheap.

Please do.  I think there is a meet and greet aboard on the 20th at 2pm in Commodore a tidbit I dug out of a roll call thread from a longer version of this voyage.  

We took the 0735 bus /ferry/ bus from Victoria.  The food on the ferry is good and it is a pretty 90 min. ride over.  The skipper is very into all engines full (docking is like two minutes) vs cruise ships where the fear is if you even might nudge the dock it is global news.  

We were in our Vancouver hotel, the Kingston, noon ish.  It is cute, cozy, very central and has a laundry room.  I found Shwarma nearby and there is a Tractor location which might be the ticket for breakfast.  We are just outside of walking distance from Canada Place.  

Interestingly the QE is in Victoria today.  

I remember the space as looking like an  afterthought.  If they wanted to take a page from the cash flow positive parent company- put in some modest welded wind breaks and have a Cantina.  Hot dogs and hamburgers are not healthy any more and seem very 1966.   I found outdoor dining useful during COVID outbreaks.  Airborne virus transmission is inefficient in 30 knot winds.  

We did stop in Victoria BC a few days pre cruise. The place is semi hard to get to (the Wilson BC Connector ferry + same bus is a bit over four hours) but worth it.  Stay central- the Empress is pleasant enough. 

The city is over run with fit retired couples on holiday who walk everywhere.  The path and sidewalk system is good beware of bikes.  We found nearby cheap/good food at Tractor and at Tug on the water.  The Dim Sim was lovely and authentic.  The  #75 bus @Bay G from the Empress on N side of the hotel complex goes to the Buchart Gardens for a $5 US or CDN Day Pass.

If you run out of socks Hudson Bay has them.  Lots of shops for outdoor wear between Hudson Bay and Chinatown.  This is the normal shopping cruise ports need not just t-shirts and shot glasses.  Lovely yarn @ Bee Hive.  They have a miniature Fisherman's Wharf a short walk away.  A huge car ferry (Coho)  manages to shoe horn in a few times a day

2 hours ago, Broon said:

Thank you for your posts. We are boarding the NOORDAM today. 

Enjoy your trip.  The former King Neptune, banished to steerage, got a serious deal on a B to B to B and can be found in Lido, port side, by the wait station. 

We were in already in Vancouver after a HAL Noordam Alaska family reunion cruise.  The airfares home were high.  One idea was to find a ship out of town.  $349 and a few days wait put us on the QE headed for San Francisco.  

All the lovely direct mail we get is a good reminder of Cunard.  I found my loyalty pin in a drawer.  Three days was not enough but the continuing voyage overlapped a firm comittment at home.  

I got an upgrade offer in email- inside to obstructed ocean view - the light and the couch - $75 or so got it.  The modern trend to have only tiny inside cabins is sad.  

We saw the her in Juneau- wow.  Were we on the wrong ship?   Not my choice.  If the endless reports of cutbacks and the decline of ballroom dancing are true- maybe not?  

There was exactly no waiting for self assistance departure.  Nor in the terminal.  The Canadians have perhaps concluded if your ID has been checked a dozen times this week you might be a minimal risk.  

I keep missing the memo on why modern megaships are good.  This was pretty chill and felt like a vacation.

A few days in BC and then back to sea on Cunard. Live blog to follow there.  

We were hoping for a few more dance numbers in Ocean.  Jazz is fine but not ideal for dancing.  We walked in at 530 to a Dolly Parton song and breaking glassware.  OK then 😉 I can report the floor is just barely big enough for Country Two Step.  Counterclockwise line of dance, folks.  Pro tip: Non skid deck shoes don't slide.

We visited our relative and reunion leader up in his Neptune Suite on Seven Aft.   He is a perfect twin of Henry VIII so we called him King Neptune all week.  Nice digs- the balconies seem to connect.  The front desk in the Suite Lounge reportedly can fix anything.  

A key feature - a wall clock on Ship's Time. 

The inside passage is pretty.   

We are supposed to be complaining out here.  Not finding a lot.   The blueberry pancakes were slightly over mixed at brunch but the fish sandwich was excellent.  

The City at Sea tagline might be borrowed but the talk was fine and many crew and officers were featured.

We have amazing weather and calm seas even on the outside bit of our route.  

The Alaska sale items were picked over the shop folks seemed happy as they need to stock up on Kiminos and Asian stuff soon

We apparently passed our Coast Guard inspection in Juneau.

Ketchikan is scenic.  We got a break in the rain to accomplish our two goals - the yarn shop and some spruce tip beer. 

The yarn shop about 3/4 of a mile away had locally dyed offerings.  Decisions had to be made.  Blue it was.

On the way back we found a funky waterfront bar with a view of cruise ships.  Go figure 🙂 The spruce tips vs hops beer was good and even consumed by locals.  

The Oceans combo got a new guitar player so was a trio again.  The sound was well practiced even though in fact it was not he just arrived.  They played a Tango. If I was in charge I would have just four in Rolling Stone and put two back in the classical place.  

MDR had a Gala dinner and salmon mmm.  No waiting again

1 hour ago, wdw1972 said:

You're correct - there's not movie screen by the pool on Noordam - only the Pinnacle Class ships. I didn't care for evening movies there due to the humidity (even with the roof closed).

 

Sue/WDW1972

On RCCL on some of the classes they run these poolside screens + loud music 24 hours a day. I find this annoying (except during a movie) and they use a lot of electricity (20kw) which requires the burning of an extra gallon of diesel fuel an hour.  Our enclosed pool deck now is semi quiet and chilly.  

On an earlier topic Icy Point sounds amazing.  If there is a developer who wants cruise ships and can capture shore excursion revenue (vs just seasonal t-shirt sales) and create jobs for local people it all seems perfect.  

A really good shipboard party is loud, late and has a mix of passengers, staff and officers.  Box checked here for Orange Night.  One of our friends refuses to travel on HAL "the parties end too early" -we left at 1030 it was still hopping.  The six piece band in Rolling Stone sure put some stereotypes away.

It was Orange Night.  There were fun costumes at dinner.  Note this is a casual event.  We were over supplied with dress up clothes as it turned out.  Note these will have a role next week 🙂

The dinner was highly successful.  I had the Goreng and DW had the vegan stuffed pepper.  HAL has the best MDR food and we have tried them all.  No waiting for tables and great service. 

Points were awarded for printed menus. 

The Cruise Director is classy and low key.  There are minimal anouncements.  The required venue piped in music is mercifully not too loud. 

3 hours ago, GA_Traveler said:

I am leaving on an Alaskan Cruise on Sunday.   This post is making me even more excited. 😁

So far, the hassle factor of starting in Alaska seems high.  I'd do a round trip out of Vancouver.  

DW says the yarn store is even better in Juneau than in Skagway.

Officers are seen in the Distant Lands food section of the Lido.

Rain here but a sturdy coat and umbrella did the job.

The Cunard QE just arrived.  A similar guest experience to HAL.  But a dedicated ballroom and orchestra.   

8 hours ago, erewhon said:

Thank you for reporting from your voyage on the Noordam.

We were on board her for 30 days February / March,   appreciate seeing the photos.

Thanks.  This is a nice class of ship.  It has lovely open spaces which in more up to date designs are packed with cabins and revenue spaces. 

There was excitement last night at the bar in Oceans over the Smoked Cherry Old Fashoned (?)  Drinks.  Some kind of device, a lighter and wood chips?  

A radical innovation idea for HAL.  Since disposable plastic water bottles are no longer safe, a water bottle refilling machine (seen at airports) could be installed.  They could charge 50 cents even. 

Bottles could be washed and filled with (coffee?) even.  Younger guests might find this hip and cool.  

MDR breakfast is lovely.  Eggs Benedict with crab hit the spot. 

HAL has Glacier Bay figured out.  The Park Rangers and local nonprofit folks added a measure of authenticity.  The weather was ideal and all glaciers and mountains were visible.  It is nice to be on a ship with lots of open decks to follow the fast changing scenery reports.

MDR lunch and dinner were good - the service was spot on and cheerful.  There was no waiting for walk in  tables for two.  This is rare on more crowded modern ships.  We got in a few dances in Oceans.  

Skagway is easier on a smaller ship.  No lines.  We took the three hour no passport train ride and enjoyed both views - the valleys and waterfalls.  It reminded me of the cute wooden train at Soller on Mallorca.  I would bring n95 masks if you are next to those with illnesses.  

The yarn store in Skagway has fun local hand dyed selections.  

There were reports of local beer made of spruce tips vs hops.  

The free drink coupons for Mariner members are handy.  

Some cruise ships were observed docked near the Glacier Bay entrance.  There seems to be a new  Native Owned private island type development with ziplines etc.  

A Taco Bar was observed poolside for lunch.  It was mostly beef that we could tell.