Review of our Amsterdam Alaska cruise.

We had a wonderful trip on the Amsterdam. We were traveling with 11 people. My family of 5 (3 kids ages 26, 25, and 18), my in-laws, my father, my sister and her husband and my brother in law. It was a big group but I think every one of us had a great trip.

 

The morning of embarkation provided a little drama when my daughter commented that she didn't bring her passport!! Much panic for about 3 hours as we were scrambling to figure out what to do. I called HAL and they said there was no way she would be able to board without either her passport or a certified copy of her birth certificate. While I was on the phone with her boyfriend who was at the airport in SoCal trying to get the airlines to bring it or fly it up himself (the soonest flight landed at 2:50 and our cruise sailed at 4:00pm) my husband spoke to someone else at HAL and they said just a government ID would be sufficient. The airline could not get someone from the flight crew out past TSA and back to the flight in time to get the passport and since my husband heard that her driver's license would work we decided to just head to the dock. We did make a quick copy of a photo of her passport sent via text. Once at the port she was in fact denied boarding until the port agent realized we had that copy of the passport which was the golden ticket. I include this story for future cruisers benefit. Don't assume your kids read all their paperwork and everyone bring their passports but just in case - keep photo copies on your phone because you never know if that might not come in handy.

 

We were on the Dolphin Deck - Ocean View because those were the only cabins available when we booked which was just a couple months ago. I was very impressed with the room storage and the condition of most of the rooms. Our Cabin steward Ayu was superb. She knew our names by the first night and was ALWAYS available. Our bathroom was in need of a little TLC - the shower/tub was worn and there was a crack in our sink (but not something that affected function at all). Our room was kept so immaculate though and we really were hardly ever there except to sleep.

 

The public areas were beautiful. We loved the seating areas by the Exploration Cafe and Library. There were plenty of books in the library to keep my English major son happy. Everything was fresh and new. The crows nest was also really nice.

 

We ate at 5:30 every evening in the same table in the MDR (except for the night we were in Juneau because we were on shore). The fixed early seating was full when we booked but they accommodated us in the open seating dining room with the 5:30 reservation for every evening). Our servers were exceptional as well.

 

The food was really very good for the most part - although I do not think it was quite as good in the MDR as our Oosterdam Christmas cruise in 2008. The food in the Lido was similar and we ate there mainly for lunch and breakfast - the fresh salads prepared to order were very very good. Breakfast was really very good with so many choices. My husband and I did not order room service so I can't really comment on that but the rest of our group did and seemed happy.

 

A few of us had lunch in the Pinnacle Grill on Monday and that was fantastic - it did not look full and so I think it would be easy to get a reservation. It was a great opportunity to try the restaurant and not miss out on the evening dinner in the MDR with our group.

 

I had a latte every morning at the Exploration Cafe - I thought the price was reasonable and the coffee very good. I didn't not love the coffee in the Lido. My kids said the coffee in the MDR and Room Services tasted much better than the Lido coffee.

 

The seas were pretty rough (at least for us non seasoned cruisers) on the first day at sea and we had one who was seasick. Once we arrived in Juneau she felt better and then the rest of the trip was fine. Although I do feel like I felt the ship move more than we did on the Oosterdam.

 

Juneau - we hired a cab to take 9 of us to the Mendenhall Glacier - the total cost for all of us was $180 round trip including the park fees. It was much less than if we had booked through the cruise line. We just walked into the visitor center there at port and they gave us the information on hiring a cab. While at the Glacier we had an incredible experience watching a bear scoop a salmon out of the river for his lunch while we stood on the bridge right above him. There were several nice trails and we did the 2 mile RT hike to the waterfall as well. After that some of us took the tram to the top of Mt Roberts and some of us went shopping/exploring the town. The crab at Tracy's was excellent (way better than the "taste of Alaska" offered on the ship - which some of us tried).

 

The Glacier day (Hubbard) started out super foggy and drizzly and we all thought it was going to be a bust. But once we were about 5 miles from the Glacier the skies cleared and it was magnificent. We got a spot in the crow's nest early in the day and this was perfect for those who did not want to be outside. I went outside on the promenade deck and in the bow of the ship and the experience was really amazing - one of the highlights of the trip for sure. The smaller ship was able to get very close and right when we were at our closest there was a huge calving right at the center. So amazing. Kelly the EXC guide had so much great information - she was narrating the experience from the Crow's nest. We went to several of her morning talks and they were really great.

 

Sitka - We toured the Russian Bishop's house and the Raptor Center and went shopping. Some went to a brewery. The town was small and we walked everywhere.

 

Ketchikan - We took a cab to Totem Bight park. Loved it - the location was beautiful and it was the best weather day we had.

 

Victoria - this port was crowded and kind of rushed - and at this point we were kind of tired of each other I think. LOL.

 

Overall - the trip was great. Most of us were not really experienced cruisers. My dad is a seasoned cruisers but it was my in laws first cruise and the rest of us had only done the Christmas cruise 10 years ago. I think on HAL the main thing I loved is the service. The staff is just really great - I wonder how they compare on other cruise lines.

 

Feel free to ask any questions - I saw that there were others planning on taking this same cruise.

Thank you for taking the time to write your review.

Glad you enjoyed your Alaskan cruise.

Thank you for writing a review. We've cruised on 5 different lines & we feel HAL ships have the best crews.

Thank you for reviewing your Amsterdam cruise.

We were on Amsterdam last summer. Loved the ship. So glad that you enjoyed your time in Alaska.

Jim

Thanks for the review! What kind of entertainment did they have? How was it?

Thanks for your review!

Thanks for the review! What kind of entertainment did they have? How was it?

There was a piano player in the piano bar - I think his name was Joel?? He was very good and very popular. Getting a seat in the area was tough unless you planned ahead. The ships singers and dancers did several shows and it was entertaining. There was also a game show that we intended to go to but got sucked into a big family game of Mexican dominoes instead. The magician/comedian was entertaining. I had seen him before at the Magic Castle. The movies in the theater that I can remember were: The Greatest Showman, The Avenger's Infinity War, a Disney nature movie (I think something about Bears), A Quiet Place (I think that was what it was - some sort of creepy/thriller). It seemed like the entertainment venues were all *very* full and if you wanted a seat you needed to arrive early.

enjoy your review.thanks.

Thank you for taking the time to post your comments.

Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

There was a piano player in the piano bar - I think his name was Joel?? He was very good and very popular. Getting a seat in the area was tough unless you planned ahead. The ships singers and dancers did several shows and it was entertaining. There was also a game show that we intended to go to but got sucked into a big family game of Mexican dominoes instead. The magician/comedian was entertaining. I had seen him before at the Magic Castle. The movies in the theater that I can remember were: The Greatest Showman, The Avenger's Infinity War, a Disney nature movie (I think something about Bears), A Quiet Place (I think that was what it was - some sort of creepy/thriller). It seemed like the entertainment venues were all *very* full and if you wanted a seat you needed to arrive early.

 

Thanks!

Just curious if HAL had denied your daughter boarding; I assume you would have just sent her home on her own?

 

Especially since you were a big group. Just amazing that people forget passports.

I am constantly quadruple checking that I have all documents for the family secured on my body before leaving home.

What a wonderful holiday for the family with such great memories made.

 

Thanks for your review-I love Alaska!

Just curious if HAL had denied your daughter boarding; I assume you would have just sent her home on her own?

 

Especially since you were a big group. Just amazing that people forget passports.

I am constantly quadruple checking that I have all documents for the family secured on my body before leaving home.

We hadn't thought that far. We hoped that if she was not able to get on in Seattle that she would have been able to fly to Juneau and join us there - but we had not got that far down the thought process. She claimed no one told her she needed her passport and she didn't think she did since we were going to Alaska. My dad (82 years old) did all the booking and he likely thought everyone knew. It was a learning experience for sure. The reason I had a picture on my phone is because she had texted it to me so dad could enter it on her check-in documents. She is my most organized kid and forgetting a passport is not something she would do. Somewhere someone dropped the ball communicating. I had meant to text all my kids with a last minute reminder of stuff like that but didn't. We are just so thankful it worked out. The HAL port agent in charge that was checking the documents was asking things like "Can someone get into your house and get a copy of your birth certificate?" and then when she learned her boyfriend was at the airport trying to figure out a way to get the passport to us she asked if he could send a copy of the passport instead and we were like "oh we have a copy of it" and she said "well then you are all set to sail." It was such a relief.

Thank you for your great review! We did a family cruise earlier this year & had a last-minute document mishap as well! Ours turned out okay- passports located at the hotel in time to board.

 

I board next week, 8/26, for the same cruise and have some questions!

 

When did you find out the schedule for the Gala Nights? I want to book our PG reservation on a non-GN evening.

How dressed up were the GN attendees? or how casual were some of the guests? We have cruised before & know many dress to the nines, lol. My wife and I are more casual people.

 

You mentioned the entertainment was crowded- did it feel as though the ship was overcrowded?

 

Did anyone in your group attend digital workshops? Feedback?

 

Any other great hints/tips?

 

Thank you!!!!

Thank you for your great review! We did a family cruise earlier this year & had a last-minute document mishap as well! Ours turned out okay- passports located at the hotel in time to board.

 

I board next week, 8/26, for the same cruise and have some questions!

 

When did you find out the schedule for the Gala Nights? I want to book our PG reservation on a non-GN evening.

How dressed up were the GN attendees? or how casual were some of the guests? We have cruised before & know many dress to the nines, lol. My wife and I are more casual people.

 

You mentioned the entertainment was crowded- did it feel as though the ship was overcrowded?

 

Did anyone in your group attend digital workshops? Feedback?

 

Any other great hints/tips?

 

Thank you!!!!

 

The ship never really felt over crowded but the seats were always full in the movie and shows by the time they started. The only spot that felt crowded was the area around the piano bar during the evening when he was performing.

 

The gala nights were Monday and Friday. They didn’t tell us until we got on the ship but someone on this board mentioned that those would likely be the gala nights and she was right.

 

We aren’t fancy either and while some people were dressed up it was pretty much smart casual - no jeans - even on the gala nights. The rest of the nights jeans were fine but no shorts. I had kind of worried a bit since I have young adults and were are from SoCal but we were all fine. 10 years ago on the Oosterdam during the holidays every night was much dressier than we were this time.

Thank you so much!

:ship:My son Gambee and I got off the ship, it was the most amazing cruise, we had done. The ship, the crew, the places and the adventure we had each day were just incredible. THE BEST CRUISE

Just curious if HAL had denied your daughter boarding; I assume you would have just sent her home on her own?

 

Especially since you were a big group. Just amazing that people forget passports.

I am constantly quadruple checking that I have all documents for the family secured on my body before leaving home.

 

My mother's uncle who loved to travel and didn't speak a word of English used to say you can go anywhere with a passport and a credit card; but you should never leave home without those two items. His argument was that forgotten things could be bought with a credit card, but missing passport would be a huge problem.

The ship never really felt over crowded but the seats were always full in the movie and shows by the time they started. The only spot that felt crowded was the area around the piano bar during the evening when he was performing.

 

The gala nights were Monday and Friday. They didn’t tell us until we got on the ship but someone on this board mentioned that those would likely be the gala nights and she was right.

 

We aren’t fancy either and while some people were dressed up it was pretty much smart casual - no jeans - even on the gala nights. The rest of the nights jeans were fine but no shorts. I had kind of worried a bit since I have young adults and were are from SoCal but we were all fine. 10 years ago on the Oosterdam during the holidays every night was much dressier than we were this time.

 

When I booked my cruise I asked about the gala nights and she said it was not very formal and that pants that were not jeans and a collared shirt were fine. Somewhere I read that they try to group similar dressed people together and perhaps this refers to those who like to wear cocktail dresses and suits which is not typical west coast at all.

Thanks for the review.

 

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