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My family of 9 sailed on her in June. We liked the ship and had a great time. We did have uneven dinner service in the Main Dining Room. Some nights were good and some were terrible. No night was great. However, we had Open Seating and did not have the same wait staff each night. (We requested a consistent table but it was not possible.) We also had poor service the night we ate in the Pinnacle Grill. Service in the Lido and bars was usually good. I would not hesitate to sail on the Oosterdam again, but I would probably reserve a specific dining room seating.

As much as I love cruises, I don't think anyone should plan a cruise if they will be devastated if a port is skipped. There are many stories on these boards of altered itineraries due to weather and mechanical problems as well as political situations. We were also on a Holy Land cruise in 2011 that skipped Ashdod due to rocket fire. Our original itinerary of 2 days in Ashdod and 2 days in Haifa became 4 days in Haifa. However, I met a fellow passenger who was on her third Holy Land cruise. Our sailing was the first time that her ship had actually docked in Israel.

lollytw, I hope you get to visit the Holy Land, but be prepared that a cruise may not be the most reliable option. We loved the area so much that we returned last fall on a land trip. We bought "cancel for any reason" insurance and almost used it due to the Syrian situation. We decided to go and had an amazing journey. Best wishes!

Thank you. I reviewed your Roll Call as suggested. It looks like we have some different ports in our itinerary. I was very impressed by the organization of the tour posts regarding open spots, etc. It made me realize that I need to get to work planning this trip. Thanks for the good information!

Thank you for the review. I am doing the reverse itinerary in September and am disturbed that you left early twice. Can you please tell me which ports? Also, I would be interested to know about any activities, HAL or private, that you did in port. Thank you! Debra

nana51, Unfortunately Dive-in was not open on our sailing. I hope you get to enjoy it!

You are only allowed luggage that will fit under your seat on the train. There are no overhead bins like an airplane. We did 3 days on land, so we sent out larger suitcases to the ship. We used a small roll aboard suitcase that was sent ahead to our hotel each day. On the last day, it was sent to the Oosterdam. I was impressed at how well the system worked. Our luggage was always in our hotel or cabin when we arrived at each destination.

We did this excursion last month and were very happy. I chose the HAL trip because I had read that larger boats are more likely to go out in marginal weather. I also tend to get sea sick on small vessels. The boat was very comfortable with outside viewing areas on the 2nd and 3rd deck. My sister did the HAL combo with the whale watch and glacier. She also was pleased.

cruisedeb1, If you like adventure, consider Above and Beyond Alaska in Juneau. I discovered them when I was looking for an alternative to the helicopter tours. They have several day trips listed on their web site. My husband and daughter did the Mendenhall Glacier Trek and had an amazing time.

nana51, We also did the river rafting in Denali. We did the "Paddle Run" instead of the option where you just ride along. It was so much fun!

A word of caution about the boarding pass from the HAL web site. My daughter packed hers in the suitcase that was sent ahead to the ship. She tried to reprint it in Anchorage but was unable to do so because the cruise tour was in progress. A HAL representative told her in an online chat that she didn't need the paper copy to board. When we checked in at the pier in Seward, the agent said that the paper copy is their only record if the computers go down. She told me that we would have had to retrieve the boarding pass from her suitcase if that had happened. I learned that you probably will not need the pass but it is still important to have it with you!

Most men wore a coat and tie on formal night. Although I did not see any tuxedos, I did see several ladies in sequin dresses. There were a few people in jeans, but that seems to happen on every cruise. Most women were in dresses or pants on the smart casual nights. My husband wore nice pants and a polo shirt on those nights.

I agree that packing for this cruise is a challenge. I used Space Bags for the first time in order to conserve luggage space. The concern is going over on weight! The Oosterdam set up a scale at the information desk on the day before we disembarked. I heard there was a line to use it. My husband and I took our luggage to the fitness center restrooms and weighted our suitcases there.

We were in inside cabin 8119. We had the perk of my parent's balcony room right across the hall. We liked the room because it was close to the Lido cafe and the back of the ship. My daughters were in an outside cabin midship on deck 4. They seemed to like the location. The cabin was well organized with lots of storage space. I forgot my travel clock and it drove me crazy because there was not a clock in the room. I left my cell phone on Airplane mode in order to know the time!

oops! LIFE boat drill not lift boat!

My husband thinks there were closer to 75 vendors at the Anchorage market, but that is only an estimate. Here is a link to the web site: http://www.anchoragemarkets.com/Anch%20Market%20and%20Festival/amf2.html

Where is the Sunday market located in Anchorage? What types of food did they have? What else did they sell? How many vendors?

The market was directly across the street from the Hilton in downtown Anchorage. I would estimate 100 vendors. Food choices ranged from reindeer chili and salmon jerky to traditional sausage and biscuits. There was jewelry, authors and artists selling books and art, ulu knives, dog accessories, T-shirts, etc. There was also an area for children with arts and crafts.

Since you boarded in Seward after 5 pm, what was it like boarding? How long before you had your bags? Any problems with getting a reservation that first night? When was the lifeboat drill? How did they work that around the dinners?

We did not arrive in Seward until at least 5:00 PM. We waited in line at the terminal for probably 20 minutes or so. It was an easy process. Don't forget your printed boarding pass from the web site. The agent told me that it is not needed UNLESS their computers go down. The printed pass is their only record in that situation. We did not try to make dinner reservations the first night because we were so late arriving. Each family group went to dinner on their own. The lift boat drill was shortly after we boarded. The luggage was in our room when we boarded.

What time did they pick up the passengers for the Tundra Wilderness tour in Denali?

There are a range of pick up times that are assigned on the day of the tour. My sister was picked up at 2:20 PM and returned around 11:00 PM.

What were the hours for the park Visitor's Center in Denali? Did you go there the first night you arrived?

Yes, we visited the Visitor's Center that day we arrived. They are open from 8:00 AM until 6:00 PM.

We cruised last week on the Oosterdam. There was rough water the 2nd night before Glacier Bay. I would suggest that you take generic Bonine with you. It is inexpensive and less sedating than Dramamine.

Thank you all for your kind comments. Kroozfoolz, I am glad you made your flight! James Cielen did another show on the last sea day. It was in the Queen's Lounge, a much smaller venue from the main showroom. In other words, arrive early if you want a seat!

June 12-22, 2014 Fairbanks to Vancouver. It was a great trip!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2062605

My family of 9 just returned from Holland America's 11 day land and sea journey. Our group was aged 18 to 82 years. It was my parents fifth trip to Alaska, but the first for the rest of us. It was also my first experience with Holland America. We loved Alaska and had a wonderful trip.

We all flew to Fairbanks where we stayed at the Westmark. The next morning we took a "deluxe motor coach" to Denali. Due to road construction, the 120 mile trip took 4 hours. Our overnight was at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. We all loved Denali. I will describe our tours in a section of this review devoted to the "ports."

The next morning, we boarded the McKinley Explorer for the 8 hour trip to Anchorage. The train was gorgeous! We had individual seats with lots of leg room. The cars were almost all glass for maximum viewing. There was limited seating in the dining area and service was not fast, so plan ahead if you want to eat lunch there. The food was okay, but not anything outstanding. Each car had a rail guide and a bartender. They were both pleasant and informative. We bought the "Gulcher" bottomless soda bottle. It was a bargain at $12 because we could use it the next day. Some of our family spent much of the trip on the outside platform. Everyone really enjoyed the day.

We spent the night at the Hilton in Anchorage. We were very pleased with the hotel. We had a nice dinner at Humpy's Alehouse. It was only a short walk from the hotel. We were in Anchorage on a Sunday morning, so the weekend market was open. It was a fun place to shop and eat. We took the train to Seward around noon. Although the cars were not as opulent as the McKinley Explorer, we loved the experience. The train had bench seating around tables. Each grouping seated 4 people in both front and back facing seats. There was lots of glass for viewing, but the seats were not as comfortable as the other train. Our rail guide, bartender and server were the same person, so he was very busy. The star of the show was the scenery. WOW! It was a stunning 5 hour trip.

We boarded the Oosterdam in Seward. Embarkation was easy. Because we had a large group and could not agree on a dining time, we decided to try Anytime Dining. We made 48 hour advance reservations each day and were able to eat at our chosen times. The service in the dining room was uneven. Some nights were outstanding and other nights were poor. We had the Explore 4 promotion and ate in The Pinnacle Grill on the last night. The food was excellent but the service was very slow. Some people have reported that they were able to change their assigned reservation, but that was not our experience. However, I am not complaining. We had a wonderful dinner at no extra cost.

I thought the ship was lovely. I have sailed on some of the mega ships, but I like the intimate feel of the Oosterdam better. We spent a lot of time in the fitness center, hot tubs, and library area. The fresh water pool and hot tubs have a glass canopy that opens on sunny days. The entertainment was fine. We really liked the magician and comedian, but found the singers and dancers to be only okay. I was disappointed in the gift shop. I usually find the prices to be lower or comparable to the ports, but that was not the case. We enjoyed using the Signature Beverage cards that came with the Explore 4 promotion. It was fun to try different drinks that we would not usually order. An added plus was the ability to get bottled water to take into port.

Disembarkation was a problem for us. If you were flying from Vancouver or Seattle directly to a U.S. city and had cruise transfers, HAL would send your luggage to the airport at no charge. You had to complete a form in advance to reserve the service. We had designated luggage tags and a specified meeting location. Although my daughter completed the form and received the correct luggage tags, her name did not appear on the list to disembark. She was not alone in this predicament. She was finally able to leave the ship an hour after the rest of the group disembarked. We arrived at the Vancouver airport at 10:00. We had a time cushion, but a family on the bus with us had an 11:05 flight. Security and U.S. Customs took at least an hour to complete. After we had been in line for a while, an official started gathering people who were on the 11:05 and 11:10 flights. I hope they made it.

This is what we did in each "port:"

Denali: My husband, daughter and I took the free shuttle bus from the hotel to the park Visitor's Center. We had just enough time to hike to the suspension bridge before our River Rafting Paddle Run excursion. The rafting trip was a blast. Be aware that the dry suits provided contain latex. My daughter and I are latex allergic and had to wear vinyl gloves during the trip to protect our wrists. We were fine but I was a little nervous because we left our EpiPens in the hotel room. My father and other daughter enjoyed the Jet Boat excursion. My sister and her sons went on the Tundra Wilderness Tour. Although it was a very long tour, they had a great time. Their guide was excellent and they saw lots of wildlife.

Haines/Skagway: We had to take the ferry from Haines to Skagway which was an expensive and annoying experience. It cost $70 per person round trip. On the way to Skagway, we were "entertained" by a worker singing pirate songs into a microphone. The girls in our group were met in Skagway by Becky from Beyond Skagway Tours. We had a wonderful trip that included petting Husky puppies and seeing beautiful scenery. I highly recommend this company. The men in the group went on the HAL White Pass Railroad excursion.They loved the trip.

Juneau: My husband and one daughter went on an amazing hike on Mendenhall Glacier. They hiked 3.5 miles before reaching the ice. Once there, they donned mountaineering equipment and descended into an ice cave. After spending about an hour hiking on the ice, they hiked the 3.5 miles back to the trailhead. They consider this tour to be one of the highlights of all of our family vacation experiences. The trip was booked through Above and Beyond Alaska. The rest of the family went on HAL whale watching tours. We chose the cruise excursions because I had read that the larger boats are more likely to go out in marginal weather and because I get sea sick on smaller vessels. Between the two excursions, we saw a variety of wildlife including humpback whales, orcas, eagles and sea lions. We all had a great time.

Ketchikan: My family went on the Ketchikan Kayaking tour through Southeast Sea Kayaks. The 2.5 hour tour included kayaking under the bow of the Oosterdam. We enjoyed the excursion and never felt unsafe, but the high winds and current made it a challenging outing. The agency was very professional and did a good job. My sister and her sons went to the Lumberjack Show and had a great time.

Overall, we had an amazing trip to Alaska. Please feel free to ask any questions.

Thank you all for the suggestions!

Thank you for the reply!

I'm a little confused about not using a beverage card during happy hour. When we booked, there were 2 promotions. We received a promotion that included up to 15 drinks per person per day at a max of $7 each. It was called Signature Beverage Package. There was also a promotion for a $50 beverage card that was offered for different sailings. Can we use the Signature Beverage Package card during happy hour? Thank you.

Thank you all for the information!

We are taking a Holland Land and Sea package next month. After we do the White Water Rafting excursion in Denali, we should have several hours of daylight left. Is there anything that we can do that is close to the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge?

We will also have a few hours in Anchorage on a Saturday night and Sunday morning. We will be staying at the Hilton. Suggestions welcome! Thank you!

We used Sam Salem (guide.holy@gmail.com) on our trip in October. He was able to take us to special places that the average guide cannot access. Sam is a Christian who was born in Bethlehem. Because he is not a citizen of Israel, he is not eligible to be licensed. However, he is an excellent guide who is well connected. I read about him in a travel guide and was very glad that I used him. He can pick you up at the port and take you on a tour that you design with him. If you would like to ask any questions, please send me a private message on Trip Advisor. I post as Debra26.

Thank you for the positive comments. That is good to hear.

When I learned before our trip that Sam was not licensed, I was a little concerned and asked him the reason. He told me that he is ineligible for licensure because he was born in Bethlehem and is not a citizen of Israel. He is very experienced and well connected. I have used many private guides in my travels and stand by my recommendation of Sam.