oaktreerb

HAL sends those notices to everybody. That way you become responsible for the decision about the Visa. A good TA will let you know if a Visa is required and help you get one.

May would be best for weather (snow in mountains), longer days. September will generally have rougher seas and some shops, activities will have closed at the end of the season. Rain can happen anytime. I want HAL to offer it repeatedly from May to September. I prefer to sail in June.

They have two sizes, large and small. The small work for me (6-7) but if the steward isn’t paying attention you may get two larges for your stateroom. I have had to ask for the smaller size. The slippers aren’t keepers but they come in handy after a shower with the robe HAL supplies (also in large).

You may have to ask your room steward.

We will look at this opportunity. I see the 14 day for 2023 goes to Prince Rupert instead of Victoria. Sailing out of San Diego is a plus for us.

The stop in Prince Rupert replaces Victoria, I guess. I’ve been to both and Victoria would be my choice. There are lots of things to see and do in Victoria and it’s beautiful just to walk to the inner harbor. Prince Rupert definitely does not have the charm or the variety of experiences. We took an excursion looking for bears along the shore. Didn’t see any.

One of the best benefits of the 14 day cruise from Seattle was the full day stop in Victoria. We had plenty of time to enjoy Butchart Gardens. We would even have had enough time to have tea along with the visit. Victoria is a lovely place to visit for the day. The Seattle courtesy stops are so short there is barely time to enjoy the inner harbor. Why would skipping Victoria be an advantage? It’s beautiful.

Our first of the 14 day cruises sailed out of Seattle in 2010 on the Amsterdam and sailed up the inside passage. Great Cruise. One I would have been happy to do every summer.

I’ve been encouraging HAL to bring back the 14 day itinerary for season long cruising May to September 2024. I think the Seattle round trip would be the most successful as far as sales go since many US consumers don’t want to sail out of Vancouver for various reasons. If they can add more departures for 2023 I’d be thrilled. It’s kind of unfair to add it only during shoulder season. The current north and south between Vancouver and Whittier is not varied enough to be a good back to back. I told HAL their itineraries were boring and just like every other major cruise line. They need some variety for the Alaska market I talked to the future cruise booking agent on the Nieuw Amsterdam and he had some insight about HAL not wanting to give up favorable docking locations in their contracts. He also pointed out that HAL sold 4 of their ships. I still think they can use one of the remaining smaller ships to sail 14 day Alaska itineraries out of Seattle. Write to HAL and ask them to being back the 14 day or 21 day Alaska cruise out of Seattle. 🛳⚓️🛟

Eurodam is a very nice ship.. Excellent service and pleasant dining experiences. Alaska in October can be rough cruising. Holland America captains have lots of experience in Alaska/Canadian waters and the ships are well built so for October they would be the best choice.

It was my understanding that the Club Orange dinner menu items were prepared in the MDR kitchen. If you ordered the entree special for Club Orange it was probably prepared in the Club Orange kitchen by the new “Chef”. Your meals in the Club Orange dining room should have been at least as good as in the dining room. If HAL wants Club Orange to be an upscale experience they need to work on quality control for CO.

On Alaska airlines they will charge for checking your luggage unless you are an Alaska Airlines member. On full flights people who do not pay to check their luggage will often get it checked for free if they wait until just before boarding when the airline decides it will run out of overhead space. Doesn’t seem fair to people who play by the rules and plan ahead.

So, that’s why the Westerdam is the Testerdam.

My Alaska basics: Rain Pants and Rain Jacket with hood keep you dry and warm in wind as well as rain. A puffy vest will coordinate with long sleeve pullovers. Black jeans. Fleece Jacket with hood. Water proof shoes with two pair warm socks for outings, Merrill lined slip ons around the ship. Dressy flats for evening. One pair evening black pants, one long black skirt, one fancy top with shiny jewelry for dressy nights, 2-3 nice tops to coordinate with sweater for dinner. No sweatshirt (too bulky). Don’t forget the underwear. The ship will supply a robe. A warm slip on hat for glacier viewing, gloves (?). I also take a small bedside clock and a flameless candle for a bathroom nightlight and a clip to hold the curtain shut at night, a very small flashlight may come in handy. Meds are important including Imodium and a cough remedy. Toothbrush and small toiletries. Lotion will be provided. On the plane wear short sleeve t-shirt with long sleeve sun protective coordinating shirt and a second pair of black jeans. Black water proof shoes with socks. I have never taken tennis shoes or sandals to Alaska. Your base color is black then mix in colors with tops. Stuff the shoes when you pack. They take up a lot of space!

I don’t think the option for Rudy’s Sel de Mer will remain as a pop up. Other “pop up’s” may take its place.

I did write the new no-trade policy up as a complaint on my review. It’s really hard to know what to expect onboard ship anymore. It never hurts to ask but it’s really disappointing when they say “no”. I’m not used to that. Also, I mentioned the lack of fruit in the staterooms. I was told it had been determined by management to be too wasteful and that I could ask for fruit to be delivered at a certain time each day. That was on the fifth day of a 7 day cruise. So, we had grapes delivered on day 6 at 10 a.m. At least it was something healthy to put in the cooler for snacking.

Loved Rudy’s Sel de Mer on the Koningsdam in March so we tried it as a “pop up” on the Nieuw Amsterdam in August. No comparison. The serving crew on the Nieuw Amsterdam could not meet the standards of the dedicated crew on the Koningsdam. It took us over two hours to finish the meal on the NA. The Dover Sole was not deboned properly and the special dessert that I had loved on the K was not on the menu. I don’t think it is possible to recreate the Sel de Mer experience as a “pop up”.

We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam in August and not allowed to exchange the “champagne” for wine. The NL hostess, Angela, said it is no longer permitted by HAL but we could exchange it for sodas or another bottle of water. We just left the bottle in the room. As far as I’m concerned the Champagne in the Neptune Suites is a cutback I would welcome. Forget the champagne but give me my chocolates at the end of the day!

I thought the magazines were offering this benefit for free to HAL in order to sustain the publications subscriber base. No big loss for me especially if HAL can trim costs by not offering the magazine benefit.

I prefer Seattle because it is easier to reach for most US passengers. HAL needs to make the cruise profitable and I think more passengers would be open to the Seattle round trip itinerary.

Rudi’s. A dedicated dining room with great food choices and attentive service.

We were also on that cruise/tour. The cruise out of Vancouver was wonderful. All staff wore masks, most passengers also wore masks. The land part of our cruisetour started with a crowded boat on the 26 Glacier Cruise. Then came the bus to Anchorage, train to Denali, bus to Fairbanks. Very few people observed the mask mandate on the land portion of the trip If you figure a three day incubation period, anyone who started showing symptoms at Denali probably came into contact with Covid on the first day of the land tour. Continued close contact in bus/train transportation and open buffet breakfast/dinner options would continue to spread the virus. There was testing at the Denali hotel for passengers going the opposite direction (land first) to the ship. According to reports as many as half of the passengers tested positive and were not allowed to join the ship. It only stands to reason that a comparable number of passengers going on to Fairbanks also contacted Covid. There was no requirement to report symptoms of Covid during the land tour for those who were not heading for the ship. . If you reported while on the cruise portion, I think HAL would put you in a hotel in Anchorage and you would not do the land tour.

Bring back the 14 day Alaska itineraries and sail them May through August round trip out of Seattle.

Find a place for the Grand Dutch Cafe on all ships.

Look at the deck layouts. A lot of the “H” cabins are under the kitchen or stage. The cabins on the promenade deck are somewhat smaller. If you have room #’s you can verify locations, if you have a guarantee you will be on a lower deck with a DA but probably a larger stateroom and a quieter location.