Anyone just back on Zaandam from Alaska?

Leaving on May 29th. Would love to hear some reports, from anyone who just got off.

The GOOD,Bad and or Ugly. ;)

Thanks

John

We're leaving May 22 and would love to hear also :D

Anybody? Please.....

We just got back from our Alaska cruise on the Zaandam on 5/15/09. The service was very good, food was good. Juneau we did the evening whale watching - saw 7 or 8 humpbacks, this excursion had good food too. Glacier Bay was beautiful, not too many icebergs. Sitka was a disappointment. Took the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour in Ketchikan - highly recommend this tour! The crew is fun and friendly! Our only bump was the lack of information we got on the Victoria stop. According to our original schedule we would dock at 6:30 but according to the captain's schedule would be 7:30. Our excursion showed scheduled time of 6:30. When we asked, no one could give us any info. Also on disembarkation in Seattle had to wait for 1 person before we could be cleared. We had to wait an hour for this person - could they have not stopped her on the scan out?

Our only bump was the lack of information we got on the Victoria stop. According to our original schedule we would dock at 6:30 but according to the captain's schedule would be 7:30. Our excursion showed scheduled time of 6:30. When we asked, no one could give us any info.

So what time did you end up docking? I want to make a 7:30 ghost walk :(

We finally docked a little after 7:30 pm

What movies were shown ?:D

Thanks!

why was sitka disappointing?

did you have time to do much of anything in Victoria?

We finally docked a little after 7:30 pm

:( That is disappointing

Any particular reason you were dissappointed in Sitka? What did you do there?

Thanks.

Looking for anybody that just got off on May 22nd.

Please report!

I was looking through a travel book today in the bookstore and it pointed out that Victoria is pacific time and Alakaska is an hour different. so when the time the boat docks says 6:30 is that Victoria time or alaska time. that might be why the boat was late...

When the ship docks in Victoria, it is on Pacific time. The ship's clocks would have been advanced one hour the night before, as HAL ships, with one or two exceptions, are always on local time.

That would not have been the reason for the ship docking late.

I've been to Sitka twice before on Alaska cruises, and I'm happy to say I'll be back again this summer. I really enjoy Sitka. There's plenty to see and do there, without all the schlocky shops that come in and sell trinkets to the tourists during the summer and then head south for the winter. Sitka is a real town, with businesses and people who live there year-round. Sitka has history, culture, natural beauty, some good places to eat, interesting excursions, museums and parks. It's a prime destination for bird and wildlife-viewing. Fishing charters are also available. (No, I'm not a member of the Sitka Chamber of Commerce.:))

http://www.sitka.org/

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/sitka/1732010020.html

I talked to an engineer on the ship and the reason we arrived late to Victoria was that two engines had to be turned off to be fixed. So we were going slower because we didn't have as much power, and therefore arrived late. However, I was scheduled for an excursion for 7 pm and they waited until we arrived. So don't worry! You will still get your excursion and the ship will wait for you to arrive from the excursion before taking off.

Just to clarify...the ship does indeed wait for excursions to return before leaving port....as long as the excursions are HAL booked excursions. My understanding is that the ship does not wait if passengers booked excursions independently and do not return in time for departure.

Looking for anybody that just got off on May 22nd.

Please report!

My wife and I were on the Zaandam's May 15 - 22 "tour of duty" and, unfortunately, were not very impressed. This was our fifth cruise, but first on HAL. So, as requested, here's our good, bad, and ugly Cliff Notes of our experience...

The Good

• Value - We paid roughly $298/person (prior to taxes and p/c) for a DD - Lower Promenade, Partially Obstructed Oceanview room. On top of that we had a $100 shareholder credit and walked away with $78 of the casino's money. By bringing our own wine, champagne, flowers, and colas, we really maximized our experience to cost ratio!
  
• Weather - Never experienced rain before, during, or after the cruise which is amazing as it leaves/returns from Seattle and visits Ketchikan. A bit windy and overcast in Juneau but otherwise it was picture perfect.
  
• Staff - The lion's share of the staff (including Michael, the cruise director, and Laura the party planner) were terrific. The main desk's staff was always attentive and our dining room attendant, Agus, was very good.
  

The Bad

• Seas - We're both certified divers so rough seas don't really bother us. Our Open Sea Day (Day 2) though was pretty rough, foggy, and dreary. We heard several folks complain of the motion and we did find ourselves "pinballing" off the hallways. When showering I had to do my best not to get knocked out of the tub and the pool looked like the Wave Beach at Wet N' Wild.
  
• Food - To their credit, HAL does a pretty nice job with food presentation. The portion size leaves a lot to be desired and though I realize you can order multiple appetizers/entries/desserts, the few times we did we, to a minor degree, felt the stink eye from the waitstaff and tablemates. Also, we quickly came to the conclusion that most (not all) of the foods we sampled were "good not great". If you think Applebee's is fine dining, you'll be thrilled. If Ruth Chris is more your style, you're in for a long cruise, food-wise.
  
• Entertainment - We attended two Broadway-style shows, one jazz concert, the captain's welcome toast ceremony, and a couple of wildlife presentations. We had been warned that HAL falls short in this area but we just didn't realize how short. The shows are "community college level" at best, the welcome toast was stiff and awkward, and the wildlife programs (from the onboard specialist) were pitiful. While the jazz saxaphonist was good, his patter was rather forced. We noticed the "almost packed house" on the first night evaporated to roughly "20% filled" by the final show.
  

The Ugly

• Cabin Steward - Remember how we scored The Staff in the "Good" category? This was true with one exception...our cabin steward. He was so bad it became a joke. He never introduced himself, never brought us additional soap/shampoo unless we begged several times in writing, did not replace used wine glasses (I guess we were suppose to wash them with the soap we didn't have), never brought us fruit, and "made" towel animals/blobs that were completely unrecognizable. We actually received a phone message from the front desk telling us our cabin steward had found a candle (we never had lit this the entire trip) and reported it as contraband. :rolleyes:
  
• Schedule - We left out of Seattle late, got into Victoria at 8:15pm (we were suppose to arrive at 6:00pm) and would often still be standing in line on the stairs 20 minutes after they announced over the speaker that we were now ready to go ashore. In fact, there was never a port we arrived to early.
  
• Room Service - Yes, food did arrive on the three times we ordered room service. And, it was on time. But it was usually "wrong" somehow. One time, at the suggestion of this board, I wrote in an order of Eggs Benedict though it was not on the breakfast menu. No problem as many folks had recommended doing this. Rather than calling to clarify or explain they couldn't prepare items off the menu, they just didn't bring anything. I ended up splitting my wife's omelete. Also, we ordered one tea and two coffees. So how many cups would you expect? We got two. I guess we were suppose to mix the coffee with the tea? Food was bland and lukewarm...a real disappointment.
  

So the magic question...would we return? Maybe. If HAL had a great itinerary with amazing pricing then we'd definitely be back. Otherwise, no brand loyalty was built as a result of this cruise. :(

When the ship docks in Victoria, it is on Pacific time. The ship's clocks would have been advanced one hour the night before, as HAL ships, with one or two exceptions, are always on local time.

That would not have been the reason for the ship docking late.

Since Pacific time is one hour earlier than Alaskan time, wouldn't the clocks be turned back one hour instead of advanced one hour?

Since Pacific time is one hour earlier than Alaskan time, wouldn't the clocks be turned back one hour instead of advanced one hour?

Pacific Time is later than Alaska time---not earlier.

When Mickey's little hand is on "9" in Los Angeles, it is on "8" in Juneau.

Ahhhhhhhhhh, I see. My bad, maybe I should go back to third grade. :D

Thanks, Ruth!:)

We just got back from our Alaska cruise on the Zaandam on 5/15/09. The service was very good, food was good. Juneau we did the evening whale watching - saw 7 or 8 humpbacks, this excursion had good food too. Glacier Bay was beautiful, not too many icebergs. Sitka was a disappointment. Took the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour in Ketchikan - highly recommend this tour! The crew is fun and friendly! Our only bump was the lack of information we got on the Victoria stop. According to our original schedule we would dock at 6:30 but according to the captain's schedule would be 7:30. Our excursion showed scheduled time of 6:30. When we asked, no one could give us any info. Also on disembarkation in Seattle had to wait for 1 person before we could be cleared. We had to wait an hour for this person - could they have not stopped her on the scan out?

Were you still able to make the tour even though the ship docked late?

Thanks FloridaAdGuy for your Cliff Notes. It was good information and sounds like you were objective in your opinions, thanks for that.

I was wondering though, what you thought of the ports. Anything you would recommend either doing or not doing? Also, when/where did the saxophonist play? My son is a jazz musician and would enjoy listening to someone else play for a change!

Thanks FloridaAdGuy for your Cliff Notes. It was good information and sounds like you were objective in your opinions, thanks for that.

 

I was wondering though, what you thought of the ports. Anything you would recommend either doing or not doing? Also, when/where did the saxophonist play? My son is a jazz musician and would enjoy listening to someone else play for a change!

Our port preference (from best to least favorite) IMO is...

1. Sitka
   
2. Glacier Bay
   
3. Juneau
   
4. Ketchikan
   
5. Victoria
   

We had scheduled a glacier landing via Coastal Helicopter but knew that these excursions were the most cancelled in Alaska. As a result, we had a backup plan (bus to Mendenhall Glacier for hiking) which we ended up using when high winds prevented the helicopters from making the trip. Always have options (in writing) so if weather or circumstance necessitates, you can zig when you thought you were going to zag.

As for recommendations, the highlight of our trip was our four-hour wildlife tour on the Esther G with Captain Davey (http://www.puffinsandwhales.com) which was nothing short of magical. He limits is tours to only six passengers but, in our case, we were the only two on board. We saw puffins, whales, eagles, seals, and sea otters. The captain is very knowledgeable and outgoing and makes everyone feel at ease.

The jazz saxaphonist was Craig Richard who appeared for two shows in the Mndriaan Lounge (7:00P & 9:00P) on Day 6. He played all types of saxaphone and also some piano plus sang. I think your son would enjoy him if he's scheduled for your cruise.