Folding bicycle on the Zaandam to Alaska

I am traveling solo to Alaska on the Zaandam this summer and want to take my folding bicycle. Will HAL allow this? There would be room in the cabin for it as I have no cabinmate. It goes into a soft sided carrier so resembles luggage. It will be fun to ride a bike in the Alaskan ports.

I am traveling solo to Alaska on the Zaandam this summer and want to take my folding bicycle. Will HAL allow this? There would be room in the cabin for it as I have no cabinmate. It goes into a soft sided carrier so resembles luggage. It will be fun to ride a bike in the Alaskan ports.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but, if you check HAL 'know before you go' you will find bicycles are on the list of prohibited items. here is the link - https://www.hollandamerica.com/pageByName/Resp.action?requestPage=Prohibited_Items&WT.ac=PopTop_ProhibitedItems

Thanks, Kazu, I will just have to take city busses or walk. I guess they think the tires will be dirty.

OP, you could always rent bikes in each port. Order the visitor's guides from each port or check them out on-line to see the various companies who provide bike rentals. Are you on the 14 day itinerary? If so, you're in for a treat! I've done it 3 times, and wouldn't hesitate to do it again. There are great bike paths in Homer (along the Spit and in town itself out East End Road), Sitka (paved path along the water front from town out to the totem park), Icy Strait (from where your ship docks to the authentic town of Hoonah - watch for whales and tons of eagles), Ketchikan, and Anchorage. You may even be able to rent a bike in Kodiak and take a cab out to Ft. Abercrombie, there are awesome trails all throughout the rainforest, with gorgeous ocean views all around.

Have a wonderful time!

Thanks, Kazu, I will just have to take city busses or walk. I guess they think the tires will be dirty.

I have no idea why. Segways used to be allowed and then some jerk rode one on the Lido and nearly injured more passengers than I can count. He was told to put it away and only use it in port and then, he had it out again and hit a passenger on the Lido. After that, they seized it and would not let him have it back. (I was on that cruise, so this is a true story).

Shortly after that, segways appeared on the prohibited list. Did one bad apple do something similar on a cruise with a bicycle? Who knows. It just takes one to spoil the barrel, unfortunately.

But unicycles are not on the list...

There were two people on our last cruise, fall of 2017 on Veendam, that had bicycles. They used them in port, I don't know where they were kept. m--

There were two people on our last cruise, fall of 2017 on Veendam, that had bicycles. They used them in port, I don't know where they were kept. m--

They must have smuggled them onboard and didn't get caught because they're definitely prohibited.

They must have smuggled them onboard and didn't get caught because they're definitely prohibited.

bicycles used to be allowed. It changed sometime last year.

They must have smuggled them onboard and didn't get caught because they're definitely prohibited.

Well maybe they smuggled them aboard or maybe something else. Either way they had them and used them and nobody seemed to bother about it. It was a long cruise with over 20 ports and they got a lot of use and fun out of them. How it all worked, I do not know. Just my observations. m--

I wasn't going to ride the bike around on the Lido deck! Here in Seattle we have rental bikes you pay for by the hour online and just leave them scattered around the city for the next rider.

I am looking forward to the 14-day cruise out of my home port Seattle. I am bringing my microscope -NOT on the forbidden list! LOL. I take plankton samples with my net at every stop and photograph the tiny creatures while we are underway. Am I the only passenger doing scientific research on a cruise??

No -- we have been on cruises when other people were doing scientific research.

No -- we have been on cruises when other people were doing scientific research.

cool!

Several bicycles on the Amsterdam world cruise last year including hotel director Henk.

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