Augie's mom
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What's your experience with HAL laundry? Do things come back in good shape? Are there items you would advise not to send to laundry? Do you think they wash everything in hot water and if so what is the effect? Shrinkage, fading. Thanks for input to a new laundry user.
We havehave used them pond two past cruises and loved it. No issues with the condition of clothes returned,got them back usually within 24 hours. Use the free shoe shine,my shoes looked wonderful. Worth the money for the laundry package as it is for the cabin,not per person.
Terri aka Augie's mom
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I'm just back from the 14-day Canada/New England round-trip from Montreal on the Maasdam. While it is fresh in my mind, does anyone have a question? I know the ship has now headed south - I wish them luck!! - so your questions/answers might pertain to next season.
Welcome home and thanks for the review . My cruising pals and I have talked about doing the 14 day next fall,so I really appreciate your taking the time to write this. We did a 14 day Alaskan cruise this pad July on the AMSTERDAM ! And we like the smaller ships.
Thanks
Terri aka Augie's mom
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Just wondering if anyone has returned from a cruise and developed an upper respiratory infection several days later? We returned on 5/3 and my DH began with symptoms that seemed like a cold, led to lots of coughing and a diagnosis from a doctor of an upper respiratory infection. We did fly home, and there was a woman sitting next to him who was coughing, so maybe he caught it that way.
Anyone else have this?
I came home from my Alaskan cruise with a terrible uri,as did a cabin mate. TooK 2 rounds of antibiotics and a good month more before I was fully functional again. I have given it to my husband , who has not seen a doctor,and it is 6 weeks since I am home. I have gotten it before after cruises,but usually blamed it on air travel .
Hope everyone is on the mend.
Terri aka Augie's mom
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We'll be boarding Oosterdam again end of October for the Full Transit. We sailed her last Sept/October from Venice to Rome. We also found her to be in great shape! The Crew and Staff were wonderful and we also thought the food was very good!
We are really looking forward to cruising her again! :D
Have a great Cruise and look forward to your observations!
We were on last September and she was great, food and service great too.
Augie's mom
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I'm planning an Alaska cruise for summer 2018 and I am debating about taking the 14 day cruise on the Zaandam. I'm also thinking of the 7 day roundtrip out of Seattle. Iv'e been to Denali, Fairbanks and all points on the inside passage except Icy Straight Point, I like the 14 day it goes to Homer and Kodiak, which I have not been too. My question is it better to take a lesser cabin(inside) on the 14 day cruise or enjoy a balcony on the 7 day cruise, cost are similar when you take in the whole cost of the vacation. I'm a little hesitant about Holland America hearing it's mostly for older people (I know I'm pushing 60) but I will be with my special needs daughter who will be 17 (she does not do social stuff, wants to go to Alaska and see animals). Any suggestions?
We did the Amsterdam 14 this July 17th saiking,we did main deck inside and it was great. Plenty of room on the promenade for viewing. People we know who had a balconies said they felt that it wasn't worth it for Alaska . When you book, let them know if you aren't as you wish dining you need a two seater,if as you wish reserve ahead for time and 2 seater. Do the 14 day for sure. Enjoy
Augie's mom
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Question for all you private tour fans; Does the small group/private tour "organizer" receive any kind of discount from the tour operator for organizing said tour, i.e, filling up said van? Gracias! :D
We did a number of private tours,and organizer didn't get any break or recompense . Personally I think she got more work than the rest of us just joining the tour. They were very good, and the price was reasonable .
Augie's mom
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Our group to the hop on hop off bus pushed in our daily program,and announcement on board. Cost $15 per person , 4 stops no commentary , first stop strip mall,there were about 16 people from previous buses wanting to get on our bus since only 2 people got off only 2 could get back on. Didn't go to the spit which is the place to go. We returned to the port y took the free shuttle to the spit, and there was a real hop on hop off trolley therr. We didn't take it instead walked and shopped along the spit. This was the only Hal excursion that was a disappointment .
Terri aka augie's mom
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Do you happen to remember when they had Gala nights and the Master Chefs' dinner? Did you do any ship's excursions that you particularly liked? We leave in four weeks for our first cruise on the Amsterdam.
Just back on 14 day too. Our Gala nights were the second evening,,seventh evening,and,13th evening.
Hope that helps
Terri aka Augie's mom
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We visited Alaska several years ago via the Amsterdam and had an amazing time. I would like to go back, but really want to see the Tracy Arm on my next trip. In this sense, is booking a cruise on a ship that has a Tracy Arm excursion safe? Or is it better to spend a week in Juneau, and book a small boat tour during the week we are there. Either way, it would be in August, and would be on one of the HAL ships with the Tracy Arm extension/small boat excursion on the itnenary. I've heard that these excursions get cancelled a lot due to weather and ice in the passage. My thought process is that a week in Juneau would allow for six or seven days to allow for the excursion to happen, as opposed to the risk of "one day or nothing risk" with a cruise ship excursion. Any thoughts? Thanks!!
Got off the 14 day this past Monday ,we had a q and a with the captain , he said we didn't do Tracy Arm as it had receded so much,he felt Endicott was better for us to see, we were not disappointed with his decision . The ports on the 14 day were outstanding .
Terri aka augie's mom
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Thanks so much the highlight of my evening is catching up on your day. We leave next Monday after your trip is over. Keep them coming.
Cheers
Terri aka Augie's mom
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I did and I thought you might too...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/cruising-in-the-caribbean-west-indies-curacao/
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Thank you, thank you, thank you, this was a wonderful read.
Cheers
Augie's mom,aka Terri
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THANKS ! Been thinking of taking one of the Boston to Montreal or reverse trips, your photos and commentary have me putting this on the list. Will have to wait a bit as we sail on the Amsterdam next Monday for a 14 day Alaskan cruise. Love these smaller ships, and the HAL touch is wonderful.
thanks
Augie's mom aka Terri
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I am traveling with a group of friends to Seattle for a Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska in May, 2018. I'd appreciate suggestions for hotels that are convenient to the pier. And if it's convenient to the pier, does that mean that it would be convenient to downtown -- Pike Street (Place?) Market? I haven't done my research into Seattle yet, but I thought maybe somebody on this site could start me in the right direction. Many thanks in advance for your advice!
Regards,
Sam
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We are leaving from Pier 91 on July 17, and that pier isn't convenient to downtown , not sure what Pier Royal uses. As far as hotels we are using VRBO.com staying fairly close to everything. About a 10 minute walk to most attractions. It is a condo, so we would have more room, and though we plan to eat out for a meals while there, it is nice to have a kitchen option for late snacks etc. We found hotels rather pricey that is why we went this option, and when we booked we were 4 people and would have needed a junior suite or two rooms. Enjoy!
Augie's mom
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Report #3 Ketchikan,Alaska July 5, 2017 Wednesday Partly cloudy & 64 degrees Part #1 Of 3 86 Pictures
Today’s port of call was Ketchikan, with a population of8050 hardy folks. At least, that is thenumber in the summer months. The wintertime? Who really knows. With up to 162 inches of rain a year,Ketchikan is considered the wettest community in North America. We all know that the islands of Hawaii getthe most rainfall, perhaps in the world. Considered the salmon capital of the world, it is no wonder thatfishing, canning, and cold storage operations are tops on the jobs list. Also mineral exploration, logging, andtourism keep the locals busy during the summer season. There are three major native culturesconcentrated in this area. That isprobably why totem pole designs are the most numerous here.
We have had the pleasure of visiting here many times overthe years. We have to admit that we havetaken many of the 34 tours that HAL offer here. They range from 1 ¼ hours to 6 hours and cost from $30 to $1900……thelatter being a private plane ride. Sincetoday’s weather was just about perfect, it was a great one for hiking throughthe city and hillsides. Boy, did we getlucky. Captain Fred had told us thatmost of the ports had been mostly rainy and overcast all season, so we expectedrain today. We have been here duringnice days, and also downpours. So it ispure luck if the sun is out. That wastoday.
The Amsterdam sailed into the center of downtown, and dockedby 8am. Shortly afterward, the NorwegianSun and the Celebrity Millenium docked, one in front, and one in back. We had anice breakfast, although fairly light, then did some internet work until10am. Most all of the tours had gone offof the ship by then, so getting off was easy.
All we needed were lightweight jackets and umbrellas toinsure that it would not rain at all. Itworked. No rain. One of the nicest places to check out is theCreek Street walk. Picking up a localwalking map, we followed the path to the major sites. These maps are great, because you can putnames and history to the photos we take along the hike.
Creek Street begins after crossing a small bridge over theriver. It was the rough and tumbledistrict with a colorful past. Back inthe early 1900’s, there were about 30 bawdy houses built on stilts overKetchikan Creek. It became a thrivingred light district, even sneaking forbidden alcohol through trap doors from theriver during Prohibition. Eventually,all of the houses became galleries, shops, boutiques, and museums. There are a few pubs and bars along the creekside as well.
What makes this even more famous are the salmon that come upthis creek to spawn. In fact, we wouldlearn much more from a local expert a bit later on.
Climbing up the wooden stairs and muddy pathway, we followedthe road and creek to the old hatchery. The hillsides were covered with what we think to be salmonberry bushes,Sitka spruce, and hemlock trees. Flowersof a types were in full bloom, especially the rhododendrons. We know for a fact that the dense bushesalong the creek can hide black bears when the salmon come up to spawn. Back in 2014, we came here in late September,during one of the last runs. The creekand banks were littered with dead and dying salmon, having completed theircycle of spawning, then dying. The odorof decaying fish bring the bears, so you had to be on watch all of thetime. We were sorry not to see the runof fish going up the creek, but we sure did not miss that awful smell.
We made it to the hatchery, but found it was stillclosed. It has been for a few years now,but it appeared that work was being done behind the closed doors. There is a nice park located there, CityPark, with small ponds that date back to the early 1900’s. They used to be holding ponds for the firsthatchery built here. In the center,there is a unique fountain that was built in 1930, recently restored byvolunteers in 1989.
Across the foot bridge, is the Totem Heritage Center, wherewe saw examples of totem pole art. Thereis much to see on the outside, without going in the building for a fee and aself-guided tour. As well asdescriptions of artistic totem poles, there are signs identifying Sitka spruceand hemlock trees, which happen to be poisonous if memory serves us correct.
It was getting close to lunchtime, so we back-trackedtowards town. On the way back, we raninto buddies Leta and Bill, and stopped to chat for a bit. They were following the same map we had, butwere searching for local shopping places such as grocery or pharmacystores. There were none in this area.
Trekking onward, we must have looked lost. A local Inuit asked if we neededdirections. We noticed that this fellowwas on his way to go fishing somewhere up the creek, so we inquired about thesalmon run. Assuming we were either tooearly or too late to see the fish, he told us that the king salmon were juststarting to come up the creek. These arethe big guys, weighing in around 35 to 40 pounds. There was hope yet that wewould see some swimming up to spawn.
Going back down the wooden stairway on Creek Street, we didstop along the way to watch for wildlife. You had to be patient, and be looking in theright spot. That’s when we saw them……atleast four monster-sized kings, swimming rapidly in the deepest part of thecreek. It was only a few seconds atmost, but we did see them as they headed towards the rapids and fish ladder. According to the native fellow, he wasallowed to snag them, forbidden by others, but legal for him, we believe. Besides a few small fish and some floatingjellyfish, we never saw another salmon.
Time for lunch. Wedid locate pizza, but it was more fast-food style. So we ended up going to Dwyer’s Crab & Fish Company, located on the thirdlevel on Front Street, right across from the cruise ships. We ordered Alaska White Ale beers and split acheeseburger, as well as a cheesecake. Surewas good to relax and enjoy listening to entertainer Sitka Tex singing to thetunes of Johnny Cash and Elvis among others. With three cruise ships in port, about every seat in the restaurant wasfilled.
Picking up a few coupon booklets, we visited some of themajor shops for bargains. There are somereally excellent buys in Alaska…….but food is not one of them. It is expensive. But the clothing can be good. Things like all-weather jackets, sweatshirts,gloves, and woolen hats are a good deal. Many typical souvenir items are cheap, drawing shoppers into all of thestores. Giving out large reusableshopping bags for free is also a good incentive. By the way, we did get one (only one)medium-size Alaska shopping bag on the ship on day two. One of us did find a good buy with a longshort-sleeve night t-shirt with a chocolate “moose” on the front.
We walked up as far as the Norwegian Sun, then headed backpast the First Lutheran Church built in 1925 and Casey Moran Harbor, where theworld’s largest fleet of halibut boats are moored. We passed by the Tunnel (1954), which is inRipley’s Believe It or Not as being the only tunnel in the world you can drivethrough, drive around, and also over.
Closer to the Amsterdam, we took photos of the Rock, asculpture of Ketchikan’s first people and pioneers. Across the street is Ketchikan’s famous sign,a welcome arch, originally installed to welcome passengers visiting onsteamships.
It was getting very close to the all aboard time, which was4:30pm, so we headed back home. The sailout of Ketchikan was going to be wonderful, with the sun out, and the breezecool, but not cold. The ropes weredropped, and we were on our way, waving goodbye to some folks on the aft verandarooms on the Millenium.
Keeping a sharp lookout for wildlife, we did see some baldeagles, either perched in the conifers, or flying. Since the salmon are not running quite yet,there are not a lot of eagles hunting at the moment. In another week, that willchange. Photographing them was achallenge, due to the distance away from the ship.
Because there were no whale-watching tours out of Ketchikan,we assume there are few in this area. But we did spot some small porpoise while out on deck 6 forward. They are also so fast, if you blink, you missthem. Later, during dinnertime, we weresailing in more open waters, and some whales did appear. People were jumping up from their seats inthe dining room, and clapping happily after seeing whales breaching and divingin our wake.
Speaking of dinner, it has been very good. On the world cruise, we were not entirelyimpressed with the prime rib. So when wesaw it on tonight’s menu, we were not sure if we would order it. However, if we did not try it, we might neverknow if it was better. Turned out, itwas good. One of our tablemates hasindulged in ordering several appetizers and entrees every evening. She has become our taste-tester, so to speak.
A new lady joined our table by the name of Joan. Originally assigned to this table, she hasbeen missing for two days. Now we have atable of eight, and that wraps it up for future hosts on gala nights. Unless some of us are going to the PinnacleGrill, and make room for two more to take our place. One thing we have noticed is that with thenew and larger plate ware, this is little room to spare between placesettings. Even worse, when someoneorders an entrée on the rectangular dishes. Guess we have to adapt, because it is obvious that the new dishes are goingnowhere.
The show this evening was a fellow by the name of LiamRyder, a vocalist and pianist playing rock and roll and jazz. Little chance we would have of seeing it,because we seem to be maintaining dinnertime from 8pm to well after10:30pm. Would you believe, the sunsetis still on the horizon at the end of our dinner?
Tomorrow we will be sailing into Tracy Arm if conditionsallow it. Looking forward to the day atsea.
Bill & Mary Ann
We fly out next weekend to start this route on the 17th, your reviews are wonderful. I can hardly wait. I am taking notes from your recommendations, so thanks so very much
Augie's mom aka Terri
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my husband and I are thinking about booking the Noordam pacific crossing in April. We have never booked an inside cabin, we are thinking about it for this cruise. Can you give advice on the J cabins on the main deck vs I 8049?
Thanks for your input!
Main deck is fine, we love it, however check floor plans you don;t want to be under the Queens Lounge where BB King and dance shows are at night. I don't know about the other cabin
have a great cruise
Terri aka Augie's mom
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I'm on Amsterdam, July 17th. Having sailed out of Vancouver the past couple of yrs, it's been a few yrs since I flew out of Seattle and was going to ask if HAL still offers Luggage Direct (I think that is what it was called). You mentioned Port Valet. Is that the same service? Do you know if Delta is included in that? I've always used it before and loved it! I hope this is the same and works w/ Delta too.
Hi we are on the same cruise as you,flying delta, and they are part of the program. Just make sure your departure times work. See you on board.
Terri aka augie's mom
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Thanks but I don't have a smart phone - I have a dumb one (and it's Tracfone so I'm charged by the minute and it doesn't work in Canada). I'm one of those "Dinosaurs" who isn't attached to my phone - some days it isn't even on. I know - I'm an oddball. However, I was interested in the internet pricing to see if they still had any of the packages. Last year it was $99.00 unlimited for a week which was nice. I'm almost hoping they don't because I spent too much time on my laptop instead of enjoying the views, etc. I do like to check email daily. However, I can live without it and do a text to my son when I'm in port. We love Alaska and this will be our 3rd time on this itinerary - love it!
Karen
Hi Karen,
I know what you mean about the phone, I have a verizon that is by the minute, and it is more than I need right now. I know in Europe we took the internet package which was pricey but it was a way to keep in touch with home. Still haven't decided about this trip since we are in "the states" most of the time.
My first trip to Alaska and I can hardly wait.
thanks
Terri
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thanks. good to hear.
I'm still trying to see how to find the flights on the HAL website. So far, no luck and yes, I booked with HAL (for now).
Flights are not on the website . Call Hal or your ta,and they will check hal, tell them your airport,date and they will check. We have saved several times , and especially on open jaw flights. Good luck
Terri
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No you do not need to disembark early to se it
Thanks for the info,we have a 1:30 flight. Not enough time to do more sightseeing , but late enough to have relaxing breakfast on board,and leave ship in latest group,and still use this service.
Have a good rest of your summer
Terri
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I have read oit is j up and running without glitches ,my question is do you have to disembark early to use the program? I want to send the luggage off,but not leave the ship till the latest disembark time. I called Holland , but they knew very little of the program. Any info would help.
Thanks
Terri
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Question for all you private tour fans; Does the small group/private tour "organizer" receive any kind of discount from the tour operator for organizing said tour, i.e, filling up said van? Gracias! :D
We did private tours,and my roommate organized several of them,and no quid pro quo. She paid her share of the trip which was the same as the others
Terri
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This is my first attempt at adding a photo, fingers crossed this
Save
Thanks so much,we go in 3 weeks , and your posts have me even more excited about my first cruise to Alaska .
Again many thanks
Terri
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Just returned home from our first cruise, the June 5-19 Great Alaskan Explorer on Amsterdam in a vista suite. We had open seating for MDR (flexibility is the way to go on this itinerary). Did 3 dinners in Pinnacle Grill including Le Cirque, all superb. 1 night in Canneletto was a nice diversion from MDR too. Amsterdam is showing her age in style and design but is well maintained and I found her to be very comfortable. The crew clearly has one goal - to make sure you have a great time on board. Our CD Jorge, stateroom stewards Deden and Putu, location guide Ryan, Mei in Pinnacle, Ferdi in MDR, Elvira in the photo studio, all excellent!
Here are some notes, ask any questions you have!
Amsterdam- loved this smaller ship. You can be anywhere in minutes and even though it was sold out it never seemed to be crowded.
Vista Suite- more like a balcony stateroom then an actual suite but to me it was worth it to have a floor to ceiling wall of windows to take in the never ending Alaska scenery and we enjoyed having a private SHELTERED (from wind and rain) outdoor space to enjoy it. On glacier viewing we did the approach on the crowded bow and then retreated to our balcony for quiet up close viewing.
Ports -
Ketchican, walked around Creek Street. Quaint, almost looks like Disney built an Alaskan town.
Tracy Arm, iced in. Diverted to Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. Excellent. We were able to get very close and saw seals on the icebergs.
Juneau. We prebooked HAL tour Taku Glacier by Air, Water, and Ice. This includes helicopter, air boat, and a hike on the glacier but all helicopters were grounded due to low clouds/visibility. Saved a lot of money but was really looking forward to this excursion.
Icy Straight Point, loved this port. ZIPLINE! Don't worry about getting scared just do it. Worth every penny. Also very nice trails along beach and in the forest. No tanzanite in the gift shop :cool:
Anchorage, we rented a car and drove up scenic Turnagain Arm to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Bears, moose, raindeer, elk, buffalo. Then on to portage bay glacier and up close viewing on the M/V Patarmigan.
Homer - walked the spit and enjoyed a very sunny day on the beach.
Kodiak, walked cannery row to the Russian Orthodox Church and the Alutiq Museum.
Hubbard Glacier. Stunning! The conditions were good and the captain got us up close to see the glacier calve new icebergs.
Sitka, took the HAL tour Sea Otter Quest and Fortress of the Bear. A quick bus ride through town and then a stop at the Fortress to watch the bears play. Then onto a boat to see otters, humpbacks lunge feeding, and lots of eagles. The waterways around Sitka are full of small forested rocky islands, very scenic. Advice - bring rain gear. It is WET in Sitka. No joke, I say this as an Oregonian, i got SOAKED, but had a great time!
Victoria, obligatory Butchart Gardens. On the way back our tour bus driver offred to drop us downtown rather than return to ship. Explored and then took a $5 tourist shuttle back to the ship.
Questions about the ship, itinerary, or anything else? Fire away!
Thanks for the great review , I am doing this cruise July 17,and now even more excited .
Thanks
Terri
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I have most of my excursions already booked through HAL, I did buy cruise through Big Box store, and received an email about excursions, I have several open ports and was wondering has anyone used the big box excursion sites. It is a cruise to Alaska that I am going on in July.
thanks
Terri
which two cabins for five adults?
in Holland America Line
Posted
We did 3 adults inside on large main deck. One thing to consider is the temperature in Alaska in May. We were on 14 day in mid July , early morning Temps chilly. Just a thought,not like a Caribbean Cruise where your balcony is used often .
Terri aka augie's mom