First cruise of the Alaska season - May 2-9

Love the blog, thank you. Will be on the May 29th sailing so this will definitely give me some help planning. Good to hear she is in great shape.

Hopefully we will have less children on board:)

IRL-Joanie,

 

Thankfully the "riot" issues in Seattle were contained in a relatively small, few block area - no where near where any cruisers would have any reason to be unless visiting someone in the Capital Hill Area. The problems were probably close to 10 miles from the HAL Pier and more than that from the airport. I-5 was also at least a mile away - but even that could be easily avoided if you were willing to drive some miles out to the way.

 

Yes, it was a serious problem in that small area, but for the rest of Seattle - the national News Media did us no favors - there was no risk. I must say, from what the local media showed (we may learn more that changes that impression) if looked and sounded like the Seattle Police did a wonderful job of containing and channeling the rioters.

 

Now, this is not just a Seattle issue - stories about the Watts Riots in a part of LA made many folks think LA was burning - well a few blocks were. Same with the Newark Riots many years ago, and the examples of on.

 

Yes, if you lived or worked in the area, things were awful, BUT, Most of LA (or Newark) would not have even know about the problems without the Media reports.

 

This morning at least one local news did report on and show the Westerdam, apparently the very first Alaska Cruise ship in Seattle for the season. They said that more Alaska cruises were scheduled to leave from Seattle this year than ever before.

If I may add....

May Day "demonstrations" need to be on the media. The small groups of thugs who were very well contained by the Seattle PD simply need to be ignored. There were many positive and peaceful May Day Celebrations in Seattle that went un-noticed by the Media.

Joanie - Come vist and don't worry!

If I may add....

 

May Day "demonstrations" need to be on the media. The small groups of thugs who were very well contained by the Seattle PD simply need to be ignored. There were many positive and peaceful May Day Celebrations in Seattle that went un-noticed by the Media.

 

Joanie - Come vist and don't worry!

Believe me I am not worried:) We will be there from the 23rd through the 25th of May:)

Joanie

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us! We will be cruising on the Westerdam in August. Looking forward to learning more. [emoji41]

I was on the Westerdam March 21-28, 2015 it was our 3rd cruise with HAL and the best so far. On the last night of the cruise we gave additional cash tips in the dining room - very discreetly. After we gave the assistant waiter his cash, our friends saw the assistant waiter walk over to the head waiter (for our section) and the money was handed to the head waiter. I never saw this before. I did not want to embarrass anyone so I did not question them. Does anyone know for sure if HAL requires the staff to turn in any additional cash tips that they receive??? If I had known that the additional tips would be pooled, I probably would not have given them the cash.

Hal does not require the staff to turn over additional tips if you have left the entire Hotel Service Charge on your bill.. However many times the Stewards themselves decide to pool & split the extra tips.. IMO the Assistant should have been a little more discreet..

It could have been tip pooling. It could have been evidence of tip collusion at work. It could have been something as simple as the repayment of a personal loan or a bet. Rest assured, I doubt that anyone will know for sure what was going on.

And it really is not our business what they do with the extra tips.. Even if they decide to pool their tips, we still give extra for the wonderful service they give us..

We have the same great officers and many of the same great staff that you did; Captain Van Eerten even managed 4 toots as we headed out of Seattle. On other ships, we've usually gotten only one. I enjoy the tootling - but then again, I live not far from some train tracks, and train whistles always make me smile!

What an interesting blog.. :):)Thank you so much for sharing it with us..

Loving your blog!! We are getting on the Westy when you are getting off [emoji4] It is an inspiration to get through these last few days of work. The prepacking has already begun. Laundry completed today...

Only a few more days until we hear the beloved 3 chimes welcoming us aboard (bong, bong, bong)...

Great blog, thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

Loving your blog!! We are getting on the Westy when you are getting off [emoji4] It is an inspiration to get through these last few days of work. The prepacking has already begun. Laundry completed today...

Only a few more days until we hear the beloved 3 chimes welcoming us aboard (bong, bong, bong)...

Daisygirl, I know exactly what you mean - those last couple of work days are tough! and yes, it's good to hear the chimes and "Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen" !

Thank you, thank you for the blog. We are sailing on the Oosterdam this Sunday and have never been to Alaska nor sailed with HAL. Your info and pictures are very much appreciated.

What spectacular weather! Today has been sunny and warm - it's 52 now in Juneau. I can't believe how fortunate we've been with the weather. I'd have enjoyed the cruise regardless, but this is icing on the cake. My sister and I are heading out for a whale watch, and I hope to have some show off worthy photos this evening. In the meantime, here's Juneau.

What spectacular weather! Today has been sunny and warm - it's 52 now in Juneau. I can't believe how fortunate we've been with the weather. I'd have enjoyed the cruise regardless, but this is icing on the cake. My sister and I are heading out for a whale watch, and I hope to have some show off worthy photos this evening. In the meantime, here's Juneau.

I'm watching the weather too. It looks like you should have good weather for the entire cruise. I'm hoping the good weather continues through the Westerdam's next visit to Alaska May 9th - 16th! :D

What spectacular weather! Today has been sunny and warm - it's 52 now in Juneau. I can't believe how fortunate we've been with the weather. I'd have enjoyed the cruise regardless, but this is icing on the cake. My sister and I are heading out for a whale watch, and I hope to have some show off worthy photos this evening. In the meantime, here's Juneau.

thanks for the posts.

I am enjoying your blog very much. I recall meeting you last summer on the Oosterdam. I thought you were doing the two week cruise on the Statendam. Please tell Karin I said hello.

Himself

I am enjoying your blog very much. I recall meeting you last summer on the Oosterdam. I thought you were doing the two week cruise on the Statendam. Please tell Karin I said hello.

Himself

Hi Father,

That Oosterdam cruise last summer was a lot of fun, wasn't it? Though the weather up to Seward was pretty awful, coming back was great. Karin & I had planned on taking the 2-week on the Statendam, but my plans changed. My son and grandsons moved to Virginia, so I'm taking 2 weeks to go visit them (and take my mom too). Which means I'm running out of vacation time for year, so we decided to do the one-week on the Westerdam. And boy am I glad we did! I'll let Karin know you said "hi"

Lisa-Ann

Could you tell us more about the new pier in Sitka? Is this going to used throughout the season and if so, could you describe the lacation of the pier? You said 4 miles out of town on your blog but it wasn't obvious on a map. is the pier a new structure?

Thanks,

igraf

Try looking up Halibut Point Marine Services.

I see it. Thanks. Google Maps puts that at 5.5 miles from the town center. Not sure if that is better or worse than taking the tender boats.

Is HAL saving money or are the people of Sitka tired of breathing bunker fuel exhaust?

igraf

Try looking up Halibut Point Marine Services.

I see it. Thanks. Google Maps puts that at 5.5 miles from the town center. Not sure if that is better or worse than taking the tender boats.

 

Is HAL saving money or are the people of Sitka tired of breathing bunker fuel exhaust?

 

igraf

I agree, I think Sitka harbor is one of the loveliest places around.

While tendering is one of my least favorite cruise experiences, I really enjoy being in the middle of the beautiful harbor in Sitka. An outstanding ride into the tender pier, one I have actually looked forward to!

One question: is the shuttle from the new dock into Sitka free or what is the charge?

We've been told that the Westerdam is testing out the dock procedure in Sitka. The dock is several years old, located at Halibut Point Marina at the Old Sitka Dock. Called the Old Sitka Dock because the original Tlingit village was here. The facility has primarily been used by smaller/luxury cruise lines such as Regent and Oceania. This is the first time HAL has used the dock, and if it goes well, they'll continue. No idea if other ships will be docking or how long HAL intends to continue the trial.

The shuttle into town is a school bus, but it's free. It's run by the Port of Sitka and there's one every 15 minutes. Takes 10+ minutes to get into town. There is a terminal building with wi-fi, gift shop and restrooms. Our HAL excursion came right to the dock to pick us up, and dropped us off in town. There is a golf cart that will run you up and down the pier if you have mobility issues, but you do need to be able to get in and out of the school bus. Cell phone reception is pretty poor, at least on the ship and immediate vicinity.

So far the process has been very efficient. I'll post pics on the blog later tonight.

We've been told that the Westerdam is testing out the dock procedure in Sitka. The dock is several years old, located at Halibut Point Marina at the Old Sitka Dock. Called the Old Sitka Dock because the original Tlingit village was here. The facility has primarily been used by smaller/luxury cruise lines such as Regent and Oceania. This is the first time HAL has used the dock, and if it goes well, they'll continue. No idea if other ships will be docking or how long HAL intends to continue the trial.

 

The shuttle into town is a school bus, but it's free. It's run by the Port of Sitka and there's one every 15 minutes. Takes 10+ minutes to get into town. There is a terminal building with wi-fi, gift shop and restrooms. Our HAL excursion came right to the dock to pick us up, and dropped us off in town. There is a golf cart that will run you up and down the pier if you have mobility issues, but you do need to be able to get in and out of the school bus. Cell phone reception is pretty poor, at least on the ship and immediate vicinity.

 

So far the process has been very efficient. I'll post pics on the blog later tonight.

Great info, Lisa-Ann! Thanks a lot.

We've been told that the Westerdam is testing out the dock procedure in Sitka. The dock is several years old, located at Halibut Point Marina at the Old Sitka Dock. Called the Old Sitka Dock because the original Tlingit village was here. The facility has primarily been used by smaller/luxury cruise lines such as Regent and Oceania. This is the first time HAL has used the dock, and if it goes well, they'll continue. No idea if other ships will be docking or how long HAL intends to continue the trial.

 

The shuttle into town is a school bus, but it's free. It's run by the Port of Sitka and there's one every 15 minutes. Takes 10+ minutes to get into town. There is a terminal building with wi-fi, gift shop and restrooms. Our HAL excursion came right to the dock to pick us up, and dropped us off in town. There is a golf cart that will run you up and down the pier if you have mobility issues, but you do need to be able to get in and out of the school bus. Cell phone reception is pretty poor, at least on the ship and immediate vicinity.

 

So far the process has been very efficient. I'll post pics on the blog later tonight.

Thank you for this information.

There was talk about this a few years ago.

Will be interesting to see how this works out.

I am one of those people with mobility issues.

While tendering is one of my least favorite cruise experiences, I really enjoy being in the middle of the beautiful harbor in Sitka. An outstanding ride into the tender pier, one I have actually looked forward to!

 

One question: is the shuttle from the new dock into Sitka free or what is the charge?

Now that I have mobility issues, we still were able to get me onto the tender.

We also love being in the heart of Sitka.

Thanks for the info on the Dock. I will be there on the Statendam in early August.