*ICE + FIRE* ms Statendam in ALASKA with pre in Las Vegas - Summer 2013 Trip review

[scopewest]

Fireflies, am loving your review. We were in Vegas last year and your photos bring back memories of our trip. I'd love to combine two trips in one if I could only get the time off from work :(

[fireflies]

thanks scopewest. Las Vegas is a great place to visit, always something new opening up something interesting to see. Yeah, can be hard to combine cruise + land but around Arizona there must be some awesome shorter trips

[fireflies]

The second stop was a 45 minute visit at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center near Portage. It's a non-profit organization that provides refuge for orphaned, injured and ill animals.

Since they are used to people you can get very close to the animals.

 

Eyeing a Caribou.

 

The Wood Bison

 

There were a lot of animals to see, we didn't get a decent photo of the bald eagle but managed to see one of the orphaned Lynx having lunch.

 

Musk Oxen, very chilled group.

 

 

I'd say she is ready for Alaskan wildlife and whale watching ;) Never seen anything like that lens before, could see craters on the moon I bet.

[fireflies]

Seward finally

After the wildlife stop it was on to Seward. The ship looked small as we pulled in. We arrived at around 4 pm at the quiet port. Arriving at 4 meant we didn't try to see Exit glacier but that was the trade we made by staying in Las Vegas for a week, maybe another time.

 

The baggage drop off was a breeze with calm guys sitting in a tent just checking tags, very different than the chaotic Florida ports.

 

Really?

I think the health form HAL/other lines have everyone fill out is funny. It says if you have a cold/cough/etc... and tick these boxes you'll see the doctor on board but they just asked us a few questions and let us on.

I know it's a health measure but figure if you don't really mean it, don't print it right on the form. Anyway embarkation was a breeze, quiet and no lines.

 

 

Bags being loaded up.

 

Arriving at 4 also meant that there wasn't much open. We didn't try to find something to eat thinking we would just have an early dinner so we headed off for the initial exploration.

No one was on board so just snapped away some deserted photos.

 

[fireflies]

They ship looked fine, dark colors and a little more modern than I thought. The bars and lounges seemed to be split a bit smaller but that made sense given the ship size.

 

Mix bar area.

 

 

The casino was tiny. Only a handful of tables and a few banks of slot machines. Mostly of the older pull kind, not too many of the flashy digital branded "Wheel of Fortune" type.

We never saw it very busy, only a handful of players. Played a few machines to pass time between activities and managed to break even I think, sweet!

 

Atrium area with the 26-foot-high sculpture titled "Fountain of the Siren." Not an actual fountain anymore. Wished it was, some water noise and spouts would give it more visual appeal but those days are over I think.

 

The Showroom at Sea - main theatre venue. The talks and evening shows are held here. We didn't attend any production shows but went for a trivia and the always awesome Love and Marriage show.

Couples that go on those shows are wicked brave + fun sports.

 

Lots of gear

[fireflies]

DAY 0 Dinner

 

After exploring it was time for dinner. We had As You Wish/Anytime Dining and never made reservations since that defeated the purpose in our minds.

Some people did make reservations, heard it was recommended on formal nights but we never had to really wait.

 

Tonight's menu:

 

Garden Symphony of Montrachet.

Montrachet is a white wine from burgundy. It had a strong balsalmic taste.

 

Glacier Bay Seafood cake

Different presesntation that I imagined.

 

Beef and Vegetable soup

 

Salmon with Alaskan Amber Beer Bearnaise

 

Barrmundi with Coconut Lemongrass Reduction

I remember thinking the dish could have a more pronounced coconut flavour but I still enjoyed it.

 

DAILY VERDICT: No major misses, solid fish entrees. It was a good first dinner as we skipped MDR dessert tonight (not sweet tooths but there will be some dessert pics later).

Things were looking good, it met our hopes of being a cut above other mass market cruise lines.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Keep it coming.

Your review is wonderful.

[erewhon]

Thanks for continuing your great review.

[RedHeadTexan]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for doing a review of the Statendam! :D:D:D

 

We leave for Anchorage in 45 days and have been hoping that someone would do an in depth review before we left. We are looking forward to reading the rest of your review and seeing more awesome pictures.

 

Lisa and Walt

[nana51]

Your pictures have made my husband think he may want to go to Alaska, keep 'em coming!

[RedHeadTexan]

Quick question...which nights were formal night? We are planning to eat in Canaletto on those nights and would like to pre-book. Thanks!

 

Lisa and Walt

[fireflies]

hi, again. sorry for the break, had a busy weekend slate of movies.

 

thanks erewhon and Krazy Kruizers for enthusiastically following along. I'm not a proficient posterso it takes me forever to finish a post, I don't know how some members can be so efficient.

 

Your pictures have made my husband think he may want to go to Alaska, keep 'em coming!

 

nana51: I read Steppy08's great current review where she compared Glacier Bay to the Grand Canyon which is a great parallel. Both incredible swaths of nature to behold. Alaska was a simple and relaxing cruise that was easy on the eyes, it might be right up your husband's alley.

[fireflies]

Hi Lisa and Walt. You are welcome :) Happy to hear you'll be on the Statendam. Feel free to ask any questions, hopefully I can help ;)

 

Quick question...which nights were formal night? We are planning to eat in Canaletto on those nights and would like to pre-book. Thanks!

 

Lisa and Walt

 

Our first formal night was the first full day at sea which was the day after embarkation/ leaving Seward (a Monday) or according to HAL's nomenclature: Day 1 / At Sea. The second was leaving Ketchikan, a Friday or HAL's Day 5.

 

We liked the Canaletto dinner, we had it on Day 3 so just a bit longer until I get to it in the review.

[fireflies]

After dinner we went back to the cabin where our suitcases had arrived. We wished the suitcases had been delivered earlier since we hoped to do some laundry but they arrived safe and sound.

 

We had an ocean-view on the Lower Promenade/wraparound deck. We unpacked and were impressed by the amount of storage space. We really liked the bathtub in the bathroom, no more banging elbows when showering, awesome! Another nice little thing, our first Holland America bag. Wonder if you get a bag every cruise

 

The muster drill was at 7:30 and wasn't a huge hassle for us, no verbal roll call just a tick on the clipboard. There was a small incident, I believe someone fell over (likely from the extended standing) and assistance was offered. After the crowds had cleared we went up to the Lido to take a look at the desserts.

 

I like seeing what's available on the Lido buffets when cruising. For desserts I don't usually eat much but it's a nice break to walk up and get a snack, a bowl of soft serve or maybe a crepe sometimes. That night we had red velvet cake and a strawberry cream puff. Both were not very good, (unfortunately a common occurrence for us in the Lido this cruise) the cake was dry and tasted flat and the cream puff was hard, like chip a tooth hard. It was almost closing but still had hoped it would have been better.

[fireflies]

A bit more exploring

 

With its expansive views The Crows's Nest was a popular hangout, a good place especially between 4-5pm for Happy hour, $1 2nd drinks.

 

A look at the outer top decks.

 

Day 0 in the books

[kazu]

Great review - very enjoyable.

 

As to your Holland America bag you received - yes you do get one every cruise:D

[RedHeadTexan]

Hi Lisa and Walt. You are welcome :) Happy to hear you'll be on the Statendam. Feel free to ask any questions, hopefully I can help ;)

 

 

Our first formal night was the first full day at sea which was the day after embarkation/ leaving Seward (a Monday) or according to HAL's nomenclature: Day 1 / At Sea. The second was leaving Ketchikan, a Friday or HAL's Day 5.

 

We liked the Canaletto dinner, we had it on Day 3 so just a bit longer until I get to it in the review.

 

Thanks for the information! That's when we thought the formal nights would occur, but wanted to make sure. Loving your review so far! :D

 

Lisa and Walt

[Guest fyree39]

Holland America is one of my picks for a future cruise. I'm really enjoying your review! It also reminds me to make reservations for an August Vegas trip. :)

[fireflies]

Great review - very enjoyable.

 

As to your Holland America bag you received - yes you do get one every cruise:D

 

thanks ;) there must be many Mariners with towering stacks of blue bags, they make a nice summer/day tote.

 

 

fyree39 hi, I think it's fun trying new lines and different builds and I'd say HAL is definitely worth a shot. Yay, Vegas! Have fun.

[fireflies]

RedHeadTexan No worries :) Think you could be onto something with the idea of Canaletto on formal nights.

 

Spoiler Alert ;), looking back our 2 least favourite MDR dinners were on formal nights. It can be nice to dress up but saving packing space is pretty convenient too.

[fireflies]

DAY 1: SAILING TOWARDS GLACIER BAY

 

Today's Forecast: Partly Cloudy / 58 F / 14 C

Tonight's Movie: Oz: The Great and Powerful

 

Fresh + Clean

 

So the first full day at sea. We slept in quickly growing accustomed to the mattresses. We missed the breakfast hours in the MDR restaurant and weren't jumping at the idea of breakfast in the Lido because of the slow nature of "full service" in the buffet so we skipped the most important meal of the day. Instead we decided to search for quarters and round up some clothes to wash. We didn't have enough so I went to guest relations for change where it seemed the woman in front of me in the line shared our morning vision.

 

My first cruise was on Carnival and the laundry room was a bustling hub, spin cycles with people ironing especially on formal nights. I've wondered why other lines don't have them (from a space and revenue generating perspective I understand) since it is convenient to be able to do a wash when you want. The machines were at a premium so there was a bit of a wait, around 45 mins. Then after tossing in a trusty Tide pod the hard work was done.

 

Cafe Indonesia

 

Lunch was an express set lunch in the MDR, you just picked your dessert choice. No soups or sandwiches just some Indonesian fare. One group in line did turn back once they heard the menu but if the world is a cookbook, you don't have to only read the pizza recipe. The food was only warmish since everything was pre-made but tasted pretty good. It's not like being in Bali but it beats a standard soup + sandwich menu. I like the idea of "themed" meals and am happy they offer it.

 

Lunch Menu:

 

Gado Gado

 

Soto Ayam, couple next to us said it was spicy but I thought the soup only had a very slight kick

 

Nasi Goreng, rice with an assortment of protein staples

 

Javanese Rice Pudding, a little clunky but okay. Hard to make rice desserts shine.

 

This was our only visit for lunch MDR. Service was quick, probably around 40 minutes.

[SilvertoGold]

Yum!! Love that Indonesian menu, but never had it as a regular DR offering. What a great treat!

 

Thanks so much for this thread. Really enjoyable and the photos are great (the ones of the food are maybe too good -- I need a HAL cruise!!!!!!).

[fireflies]

thanks SilvertoGold. We might have lucked out on the menu.

 

Cruising can spoil you, the Warung was better than what I had for lunch today. I think I'm about ready for any cruise!

[fireflies]

We had enough time to fit in the "A Taste of Le Cirque" cooking demonstration/dinner promotion at the Culinary Arts Center/Movie theater at 1:00.

We had already booked the Le Cirque dinner and figured it was a chance for a sneak preview.

 

 

The demo was for two dishes featured on the Le Cirque menu, Lobster Salad and Crème Brûlée. Everyone attending received a sample of a pre-made creme brulee.

Ours could have used a lot more bruleeing since it was hardly torched at all but it was okay.

 

The chef breaking out the torch

 

The finished Lobster Salad

[fireflies]

Carrying on with the culinary theme of the day we went for Royal Dutch High Tea at 3:00.

 

 

We enjoy tea and ended up trying all 3 themed teas (Dutch, Indonesian, Cupcake) and the traditional English tea. I enjoyed this tea the most.

Perhaps it was because it was the first one but more likely because the sausage rolls were good and the variety of European inspired cookies were a nice twist.

 

I couldn't ressit a swan

 

Naturally it's nowhere near the level of high tea in mainland restaurants but was better than what we've had on other mass market tea offerings and a solid 30 minute break.