Our First Dam Ship: Amsterdam to Alaska Trip Review

[mamaofami]

Wow.....these are amazing photos......!!!

 

There is NO way that I would ever get on that tram or in a seaplane.......:)

 

But......the views are fantastic.......thanks for taking us along......

 

 

 

When we went to Alaska we did the Misty Fiords sea plane, the tram in Juneau and a helicopter ride that landed on a glacier and then we went dog sledding. I'm not a risk taker, but these excursions were fabulous.

[jbhcw]

Wonderful photos...just amazing....I am another one who probably could not make herself get in a small plane...and oldest son is a pilot...and no he has not taken me up yet...he has taken the grands though! Question...is there an individual weight limit? DH is rather large...not overly so but still a large guy...not sure he would fly...but your photos really make you want to experience the beauty:):):)

[Steppy08]

Oh no! I KNEW there was something I forgot!

Steve and I got back into our suite and lounged on the bed, going through pictures and souvenirs and summarizing the day's events. We had no big plans for dinner that night, so we just relaxed. At the end of our time in Ketchikan, as we were perusing the local stores, I kept thinking there was one souvenir I forgot to buy. But, I let it pass, we now had plenty of neat souvenirs and pictures.

 

All of a sudden I sat bolt upright in bed. I had completely forgotten to get scrapbook supplies!

 

I am not one of those obsessive scrapbookers. I don't spend hours on the layouts for each page, and color coordinate everything. I don't even own a Cricut. But for our epic vacation adventures I do put a scrapbook together, by hand not digitally, with real scraps from the trip. Similar to writing this review, it lets me process everything from the trip and form a tangible, lasting artifact that will let us re-live the trip in detail. I had done research the previous night and found out that the store on the ship and photo gallery had absolutely no scrapbook supplies.

 

I looked at the clock in our room. It was 6:30. All Aboard was 7:30. If not now, then when would I buy Alaskan scrapbook stuff? Steve suggested eBay, but we had another 60 minutes in Ketchikan, and I was going to use it. I put my shoes back on, kissed Steve goodbye, and headed back off the ship. My mission was clear, and it shouldn't take too long.

 

Mission: Possible

We could see the stores from our balcony, and there was no shortage of touristy stores still open and willing to take my money. I went in the nearest store and looked for scrapbook stuff. Not only did I find it, but it was cheaper than Juneau. I didn't get exactly the size I wanted, but it would make do. I browsed the store for any other possible last minute souvenirs, decided we had bought everything that we needed, and a lot of stuff we didn't, and paid for my goods. I left the store, crossed the street, and headed back towards the ship. Little did I know, someone was watching me.

 

 

Steve, out on the balcony making sure I did NOT go into that jewelry store that was still open.

 

Once I crossed the street, I looked up to our balcony and saw his little white arms and the camera. I waved.

 

 

Here's my view of it (plus you can see where in the ship we were located)

 

 

We were the first Neptune suite that has a support beam dividing our balcony. All of the suites forward of ours have no beam in the middle of the railing, ours and those aft have the beam. Just an FYI if that makes a difference to you.

 

At this point, the touristy area of Ketchikan was somewhat of a ghost town, it was 7:10 and we were the last ship in port for the day. I snapped a few photos of the statue by the dock (without masses of people near it), and headed back to the ship. Now I really did have everything I needed.

 

Edited July 14, 2013 by Steppy08

[NoobCruise]

Get well soon! Back problems are the absolute worst. :( I had a consultation with a surgeon about mine (bulging and herniated discs) but they did not want to recommend surgery. It's actually been okay for a while (knock on wood) but of course that can change in an instant. I think that's why Steve and I plan such physical things on vacation, I want to do these things while I can!

 

Thank you! My 5th lumbar vertebra had slid forward 1.4 cm with the disc completely smooshed. L4 was slipping too with torn disc and a couple of cysts pressing on nerves. I had put off surgery for several years, but it had gotten to the point I was in pain all the time and had quit doing most of the things I love like snow skiing and hiking :( We had an amazing time on our Alaskan cruise last year, and I didn't let my back stop me from doing anything. We walked and hiked soooo much, but I was in agony the entire time. It really impacted my enjoyment. Thank God the beds on the Westerdam were so comfy! Anyway, I finally did the surgery and 6 titanium pedicle screws, 4 rods, and bone grafts later, and I am just laying here waiting for the bone to grow. 3 months of absolutely no bending or twisting allowed! I am enjoying your review very much!

 

We did the Mountaintop Flight Seeing and Crab Feed in Ketchikan. DH and I both really regretted not doing Misty Fjords instead. Your pics are amazing! I think the day being overcast might be a bonus. We had a beautiful sunny day and the woman that sat behind me wore white, so there was so much glare and reflection off the windows of the plane that my pics didn't turn out too great. You can actually see the mountains and lakes and all the colors in yours! Nice!

[ladybird1956]

Fabulous trip. Fabulous review. And fabulous pictures. I'm wondering if you have photographic/art training, or just a natural born ability. Just one quick question: what kind of camera do you use?

[Steppy08]

Thank you! My 5th lumbar vertebra had slid forward 1.4 cm with the disc completely smooshed. L4 was slipping too with torn disc and a couple of cysts pressing on nerves. I had put off surgery for several years, but it had gotten to the point I was in pain all the time and had quit doing most of the things I love like snow skiing and hiking :( We had an amazing time on our Alaskan cruise last year, and I didn't let my back stop me from doing anything. We walked and hiked soooo much, but I was in agony the entire time. It really impacted my enjoyment. Thank God the beds on the Westerdam were so comfy! Anyway, I finally did the surgery and 6 titanium pedicle screws, 4 rods, and bone grafts later, and I am just laying here waiting for the bone to grow. 3 months of absolutely no bending or twisting allowed! I am enjoying your review very much!

 

We did the Mountaintop Flight Seeing and Crab Feed in Ketchikan. DH and I both really regretted not doing Misty Fjords instead. Your pics are amazing! I think the day being overcast might be a bonus. We had a beautiful sunny day and the woman that sat behind me wore white, so there was so much glare and reflection off the windows of the plane that my pics didn't turn out too great. You can actually see the mountains and lakes and all the colors in yours! Nice!

 

The window reflection was constantly annoying me! I had to delete about 20 pictures that I thought were good, but upon further inspection had the reflection of my pink phone case smack dab in the middle. If you really look closely you can still see it in some of the pictures.

[Steppy08]

Fabulous trip. Fabulous review. And fabulous pictures. I'm wondering if you have photographic/art training, or just a natural born ability. Just one quick question: what kind of camera do you use?

 

Aww, thanks! I have no training, but both Steve and I have a natural eye for photography and enjoy it (plus we critique each other's pictures).

 

We had 4 cameras on this trip: a Sony Digital SLR that didn't leave the ship (for Glacier Bay primarily), a Panasonic Lumix that Steve used, a Kodak Easyshare Sport Waterproof for kayaking), and our iPhones. Almost all of the Misty Fjords pics I posted were taken with my iPhone.

[Steppy08]

We were on the Amsterdam for the very first 14 day Alaska adventure in May of 2010.

I'm loving your review, although it makes me want to instantly book another Alaska cruise. Your photos are AWESOME. Thanks so much for sharing.

 

Count hubby and me as among those disappointed by also missing the pea soup. We love pea soup and were looking forward to having it in Glacier Bay with that fantastic scenery. Alas, as you discovered, they only serve it for about 10 minutes before running out of it.

I had to be satisfied with hot chocolate so I splurged and had the steward add a shot of Amoretta to it :)

 

That makes at least 4 others just on this thread that had Pea Soup Incidents.

 

We should really form a support group. It helps to know there are others that have felt the crushing blow of missing the soup. ;)

[Steppy08]

Wonderful photos...just amazing....I am another one who probably could not make herself get in a small plane...and oldest son is a pilot...and no he has not taken me up yet...he has taken the grands though! Question...is there an individual weight limit? DH is rather large...not overly so but still a large guy...not sure he would fly...but your photos really make you want to experience the beauty:):):)

 

I asked Steve, who said that some airlines charge extra if you're over 250. I don't know if Carlin charges extra. I would ask whatever operator you go with directly via email. Steve had to give Laura our weights when we originally booked 4 months ago, and they ask again right before you board.

[gillybean1974]

That makes at least 4 others just on this thread that had Pea Soup Incidents.

 

We should really form a support group. It helps to know there are others that have felt the crushing blow of missing the soup. ;)

 

I was on the cruise after you, no pea soup for us either :). Was on the lower promenade at the time but it was nowhere to be found. Was just a guy with a trolley selling hot alcoholic beverages? They did have pea soup on the menu that night or the night after and you didn't miss much, was just ok. Maybe they sure hire the soup ****, I hear he does a lot of paid appearances, 'no soup for you!!'

 

We also had issues with the open dining this cruise, (after a fabulous experience with it the cruise before). Could not make a standing reservation for a table for 4, even at 5.15. We had a different waiter every night and had many 2hour meals (even though we ate 3 course tops). The one night we had Edy was the fastest service for sure, he was definetly the best of the bunch!!

[gillybean1974]

I forgot to add how much I appreciate your photos!! You've sold me the the flightseeing next time we visit :)

[Steppy08]

I was on the cruise after you, no pea soup for us either :). Was on the lower promenade at the time but it was nowhere to be found. Was just a guy with a trolley selling hot alcoholic beverages? They did have pea soup on the menu that night or the night after and you didn't miss much, was just ok. Maybe they sure hire the soup ****, I hear he does a lot of paid appearances, 'no soup for you!!'

 

We also had issues with the open dining this cruise, (after a fabulous experience with it the cruise before). Could not make a standing reservation for a table for 4, even at 5.15. We had a different waiter every night and had many 2hour meals (even though we ate 3 course tops). The one night we had Edy was the fastest service for sure, he was definetly the best of the bunch!!

 

I'll wait til the end of my review when I summarize my feelings about the HAL dining experience, but I definitely feel your pain. I'm glad you liked Edy. We were very lukewarm about him until we went over to the dark side, I mean starboard side, for that one meal. Can't believe you weren't able to getting a standing reservation at 5:15! Yikes.

[Steppy08]

Dessert, and then some...

After departing Ketchikan, we had a normal evening with normal food. The only abnormal thing was that Steve and I couldn't decide on which dessert to get, so we ordered four of them.

 

 

Don't judge us. It was purely for research purposes (as my friend Sherri says in her reviews). We wanted to be able to tell all of you which desserts are fabulous.

 

A quick gripe about HAL desserts... I'm not sure who their pastry chef is making up the so-called "Red Velvet" desserts... but they need to find a real Red Velvet recipe somewhere. The desserts they offer that are called "Red Velvet" are a really light, fluffy cake that tastes like white or yellow cake soaked with cherry juice. It tastes okay, not great... and it is certainly not like the rich, thick, and dense Red Velvet cakes I've experienced everywhere else in my life. If you really like Red Velvet desserts, skip the ones on HAL or you'll be really disappointed.

 

The rest of the desserts were for the most part good. The chocolate molten cake in our picture was so-so, the one in the Pinnacle is much, much better. The butterscotch sundae I had and the fruit sorbets were really good, especially the watermelon.

 

I don't wanna pack!

And so we come to the final sea day of our trip, which happened to be the 4th of July. We ate breakfast on the upper level of the MDR with Cindi and Roger, and even at 8am they were already decked out with the American flags and balloons.

 

 

If you look closely, you'll see that the swags of red/white/blue between the American flags are most assuredly Dutch flags. Clever use of resources, but I wonder how the Dutch feel about that!

 

Afterwards Steve and I went back to the cabin to figure out our plan of action (or in many cases, inaction) for the day. There was a lot going on that I wanted to try (high tea in the dining room, the cooking show about salmon). Our room still wasn't made up (more on that in the final summary), so we headed to the Neptune lounge for some coffee and to look at the cruise catalogues that HAL oh-so subtly leaves in prominent positions everywhere. We looked at the itineraries for our next two cruises on the bucket list - Northern Europe and Exotic Southern Caribbean. Then Steve found the pages with the Collector's Voyages. I warned you in my first post of this review there would be a picture of him drooling over the itineraries. Here you go:

 

 

Roger stopped into the lounge and we had a conversation about cruises and travel, and were soon joined by another woman who was on her very first cruise. Man, if my very first cruise was in a Neptune suite I'm not sure WHAT I would think when I got to a normal sized cabin. 11:00 rolled around, and Steve left to do the Long Putt competition. I joined him shortly thereafter.

 

Now, I was thinking how in the world could they possibly do a putting competition on a ship? Putting is all about line and flow and subtle changes in the green. A constantly moving ship is not really going to give you a fair chance for equitable competition. I wandered up to the Atrium just as Steve was getting ready to take his turn.

They were putting down the stairs of the Atrium from Deck 4 to 3, trying to get the ball in a metal cup. Well, there was the answer to my question. So, it was more like mini-golf than PGA golf. Steve had 5 chances, and two of his got fairly close. One ball he banked, with a lot of force, off the pretty mirrored wall that's behind the stairs. I hoped HAL wouldn't add glass damages onto our account.

 

After his attempt to win...something - I actually don't even know what the prizes were for these games (I was still somewhat in shock that Steve participated at all) - we went back to the aft to get a little wake action in before lunch.

 

 

As well as some good ol sea day photos of the ocean

 

Note: this is actually pretty difficult to do on this cruise... you're almost always within distance of land. The morning of the last day was the last time we would see open sea.

 

I should mention, the Mariner's Lunch was during this final sea day. But it was at 11:00am, and I had no desire to eat lunch that early. Plus, Steve did not get an invitation and I didn't want to go alone. After our wake-watching we headed up to the dining room for lunch (we had not eaten lunch here since the first day and had quite enough room service during the previous day). It was busy and crowded, as you would expect for a dining room at lunch on a sea day. Our meals were good (the sweet potato fries I had with my burger were probably the best sweet potato fries I've ever had.) But the service was mediocre and our waiter never even came around to offer coffee/dessert.

 

Steve and I busied ourselves in the casino for a while, and did some final shopping at the onboard store. I never did make it to high tea or the salmon cooking show. In fact, we never even went in the cooking show theater except to see it on the first day. That's something I need to try and do on the next HAL cruise.

 

We packed - I HATE packing, especially when it means vacation is almost over - and then made one last trip to the Thermal suite. I wonder if I could fit one of those ceramic beds in my suitcase? We got dressed for dinner, went to the Ocean Bar for one last cocktail before dinner, and then went to our final dinner on the ship.

 

We decided to do the Pinnacle Grill - I had some unfinished business in there from the second night of the trip...

[Steppy08]

Okay, I got sucked in to two episodes of Mighty Ships this morning, including the one about the Queen Mary 2 which I've seen at least ten times but continue to dream about our future transatlantic on her... someday...

 

Now to finish my review.

[Steppy08]

Final meal

Our first trip to the Pinnacle Grill had been on the second night of the cruise, and the menu options were numerous and mouthwatering. A quick glance at the menu yielded a gasp and immediate need for this most unexpected of culinary combinations.

 

 

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese.

 

Wait, I'll say that again for those of you who maybe weren't paying attention.

 

Lobster. Macaroni. And Cheese.

 

There are several foods that create insatiable cravings in my belly almost instantly. They are: brownies, cheese pizza, and macaroni and cheese. Not high brow at all, I know, but comforting in their warm gooey goodness. And combining lobster, my favorite seafood of all time, with macaroni and cheese was just too much. I HAD to have this.

 

Well, unfortunately I didn't realize that it was an entree. It's kind of listed in between the appetizers and entrees, so I wasn't sure. I went to order that AND a filet mignon and the waiter was quite confused. So, I momentarily put my dreams on hold that evening to quell my carnivorous appetite for beef (plus we had already ordered red wine) and decided right there and then we absolutely had to come back to the Pinnacle.

 

Steve and I found the staff at the Pinnacle very good. Their service level was much better than at the MDR, but of course you would expect it to be. The maitre 'd, or manager, or whatever she was called was named Elvira (this is according to Steve). She was the one that initially told us we couldn't eat breakfast with non-suite people on deck 5 the first morning of the cruise with our CC bunch, but we held no ill will against her for that. She was just doing her job. By the end of the cruise she knew us by name and greeted us as we walked up to the podium at Pinnacle.

 

I was faced with a new dilemma. I really want the lamb chops, but the whole reason we came back was so I could try the Lobster Macaroni and Cheese. I made up my mind quickly that I was getting both (but no appetizer, that would be just too gluttonous!). Our waitress informed me that there was a $10 surcharge for two entrees. I didn't care. (Incidentally, the surcharge never ended up on our bill).

 

 

It was to die for. If I ever am on death row, this would be my request for my final meal. Vats and vats of it. It was soooooo good.... the macaroni was infused with mascarpone cheese and it was extremely creamy, and there was lobster in the macaroni as well as the tail on top. The sounds coming out of me while I was eating this were probably somewhat x-rated, but I didn't care. Plus, there was really no one else within earshot, besides Steve.

 

Our entrees arrived - Steve had opted for the lamb skewer, which arrived in a big metal cone that evoked memories of our trip to Vesuvius last year. It was expertly set on fire by our waitress, and then my lamb chops arrived. Both were extremely good. Our desserts arrived, and I had gotten the creme brulee, which was three separate flavors.

 

 

It was excellent, the top flavor was coffee, the middle was vanilla, and the bottom was chocolate. With the appropriate amount of torched sugar crust sitting nice and crispy on top. I do have to say, I had the MDR creme brulee and was very impressed with it. It was probably the best MDR creme brulee I've had on a ship - just needed more crunchy sugar on top.

 

We left the Pinnacle to meet with Cindi and Roger for cocktails and one last meeting, then headed back to the room to finish packing.

[Steppy08]

Confessions

Steve and I are normally law-abiding people, except for the occasional speeding ticket. We follow the rules, and the signs, because mostly our jobs center around following the rules (school, company, FAA, etc...) However, faced with the impending end of our cruise, we did break a rule.

 

We skipped the Disembarkation Talk completely.

 

I know, I know. I'm ashamed to admit it. And it's not like we really had anything better to do... we honestly just did not feel like going. We were pretty sure it was going to be the same talk they always give on the last day, with no new information. And that they would re-run it non-stop on the ship's TV channel. So we relaxed in our cabin instead. I still feel it was a good decision. Especially since we did a few things that our Cruise Director told the group NOT to do.

 

Hello, I must be going...

These final few moments aboard the Amsterdam were going to be special. For the first time in our recent cruise adventures, we did not have to run off the ship, schlepping our own bags in a desperate attempt to make an early flight at the airport. Our flight wasn't until 11:00pm, and we had a full day planned in Vancouver before we left.

 

Seven day cruises are entirely too short. I say this because one of the first pieces of paper we received in our cabin was a questionnaire about disembarkation. Steve and I happily checked off the latest possible time on that paper (9:00-9:30) and sent it to Rhea, the concierge. Our plan was to sleep in and eat a leisurely room service breakfast on our balcony one last time, then get our stuff together and leave the ship. No fuss, no muss, and most importantly no hurry. We were going to milk every single second out of our last day on the ship.

 

And we did. Room service came a full 45 minutes earlier than we requested on our order form, but thankfully we were up and awake. Steve and I set up on the balcony, and looked out on the now-familiar looking Vancouver harbour. Room service breakfast on the last day was good (Steve's omelet was slightly undercooked) but it sure as heck beat fighting with the masses in the Lido. We ate on the balcony, enjoyed what promised to be a beautiful sunny day, and watched the planes take off and land.

 

 

We had an unexpected guest watching us eat.

 

The bitter end

At about 7:30 they began calling luggage tags, including our tag of Black 1. Steve and I, now getting pretty good about being rebels, ignored this. We said we wanted to depart the ship at 9:00. We would depart the ship at 9:00. We finished breakfast and began getting dressed. I had one last, long sit on my Tuffet as I got ready. The thought of chaining myself to the Tuffet and refusing to leave crossed my mind (more than once.)

 

At about 8:50, we realized that we really did have to leave, and bid one final farewell to Neptune Suite 7030. Leaving the ship was easy and quick, no lines at this point, we walked right off and to our luggage, which was also waiting for us.

 

Canadian customs was a breeze - they just collected the form and asked no questions or even looked for a passport.

 

There were quite a lot of people in the baggage area... some were new cruisers getting set to leave on our ship (as well as the Millenium), and many were passengers like us, just off their respective ships. After a few chaotic moments of wondering where to go, Steve spotted what we had been looking for - sometime to take our bags off our hands.

 

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful -- review and pictures.

Don't worry about breaking the rule -- and skipping the disembarkation talk. We haven't gone to one since the early 90's.

AND a couple of ships have already done away with the disembarkation talk -- and it is to be fleet-wide soon.

[Steppy08]

Please take my bags...

In planning our final day in Vancouver, there was a lot we wanted to see/do. And we wanted to do that without manhandling our suitcases all day. The ship offered an excursion with the HOHO bus (Hop On Hop Off) that included transfer of your bags to the airport for your flight. (Your flight needs to be after 2pm for this, I believe). It was $60 per person. Steve and I decided to chance DIYing it for cheaper. Good decision.

 

There is a counter in Canada Place when you disembark - it may be crowded with people - but it says CDS Luggage Storage. They will store and transfer up to four bags for $40. (You can leave additional bags as well for a surcharge). We did this, and highly recommend them. It was quick, easy, and painless. And WAY cheaper than the ship was offering. We happily left our bags with them and headed out into downtown Vancouver.

 

Steam clocks and Canadian swag

Steve and I headed towards Historic Gastown first. It has a lot of little shops and restaurants, and one of the big attractions is the Steam Clock. Yes, a clock that runs on steam. It sits right at an intersection (I forget which streets) and chimes (well, not so much chimes as toots) out every 15 minutes and on the hour. You'll probably hear it as you walk down the street, it sounds like an old amusement park calliope. Free, easy, and worth seeing. The inner workings of the clock are visible through glass panes, and it was really interesting to see how it worked.

 

 

Steve and I hung around the clock long enough to watch it do it's thing, and then headed towards Waterfront Station to take the SeaBus over to Lonsdale Quay. On the way we passed multiple shops selling tons of Canadian souvenirs, so if maple leaf pajamas are on your shopping list this is the place.

 

Can we move here?

As I mentioned in one of the earliest posts - an All Day Unlimited Pass with the Vancouver public transit is $9.75 per person and that includes transit on the Sea Bus, the subway, and all the busses. Quite the bargain. The Sea Bus heads across the water towards North Vancouver and Lonsdale Quay, a bustling and fun community right at the dock. The trip on the SeaBus takes about 15 minutes.

 

Steve and I went over and walked around a bit. We fell in love with the Lonsdale Market, which has pretty much any and every fresh food item you would ever need. This is where the locals shop for fresh fish and meat and vegetables. We sampled some of the candies and fudge from one of the stores and then walked to Waterfront Park. It is a short walk from the SeaBus port and was relaxing and calming. After all, we were in the early stages of Post Cruise Withdrawal here. We needed to take it easy.

 

 

After napping in the warm sunshine for about 45 minutes, Steve and I grabbed a quick lunch in the little food kiosks that line the street. We headed back over to Vancouver by SeaBus.

 

Our big regret about the first day in Vancouver was that we didn't really have enough time to see Stanley Park properly. We were about to rectify that situation, and we were NOT going to walk there this time.

 

 

 

 

[Steppy08]

The bus to Stanley Park

I had reached my limit of wanting to walk around, and we were both exhausted (cruising is hard work!) Plus, we had our bargain unlimited transit passes. There was no bus directly from the Waterfront Station that goes to Stanley Park, but it was just a quick walk two blocks up to the line that does go there. Steve and I walked up to the bus stop and there was no doubt that this was the right one, it was packed. It was packed even before it got to our stop with about 25 people, including several large strollers, waiting for it.

 

Steve and I managed to climb on, and it was quite crowded. It was not as crowded as our trips on the Rome subways at rush hour, so we were okay with that. It was only a 15 minute trip to the park from that stop.

 

Stanley Park, better the second time...

Stanley Park is absolutely enormous. And beautiful. And it was a beautiful day. Steve and I had a few must-see things in mind, and we began by walking along the shore towards the Lionsgate Bridge.

 

Sadly, we would not be sailing under the bridge again tonight...

 

We saw a few interesting things in the water - several dozen geese swimming in formation (just HOW do they know where to go) and a little otter than was happily eating his just-caught lunch on a sunny rock.

 

 

We walked towards the point that sticks out in to the water, and made a right turn to see the totem poles that are in the park. Each Totem pole has a description by it explaining what each animal means, and who the totem pole was for. It was pretty impressive.

 

 

We headed towards the inside part of the harbour, just about where our first walk the night before the cruise had left off, and continued walking around the sea wall, all the way to Millennium Point. We were treated to a nice view of the Amsterdam.

 

I can see our balcony from here!

 

Interestingly enough, near the point of the sea wall there is an old cannon aimed directly at the ships docked in Canada Place. It goes off every night automatically at the same time (I believe it's 9pm).

 

Near Millenium Point there is a statue in the water of a young lady on a rock, as well as background information about the sculpture and artist.

After Millennium Point we decided to call it a day and head back towards downtown. There was plenty of walking around the park and we were tired. We hopped back on the bus to town, and stopped at Tim Horton's for a last donut and iced coffee before we jumped on the Canada Line back to the airport.

[Steppy08]

Officially over

Arriving back at Vancouver airport signaled that vacation was officially over. Our luggage was waiting for us at the CDS counter (near Tim Horton's, of course) in the international terminal. We ate dinner, collected our bags, and headed towards our gate to await our red-eye flight to Houston, with a connection to Pittsburgh.

 

But there was one more bear sighting!!!

 

 

I found one final souvenir of our trip - while trying to spend the little bit of Canadian money I had left. It seemed very appropriate.

 

 

Why yes, that IS a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Beaver!

 

So, that is the end of the trip. I won't go into details about our connections and going through customs in Houston, but let's just say if you're connecting through Houston leave PLENTY of time to do customs and security.

 

I will do a final summary of the trip tonight, with tips for first-time Alaska cruisers and an honest evaluation of our very first Holland America experience.

 

 

Edited July 15, 2013 by Steppy08

[In Toronto]

Steppy08: What a fantastic review! Have enjoyed this so much. Love your personality and sense of humour!

 

Thank you so much.

 

Ellen

[Skipper's Mom]

In all my cruises on HAL, I never saw lobster mac & cheese in the PG like the one you had. Are you sure you didn't order the lobster tail extra and add it to the plate? ;) I'll be interested to hear other comments.

[Watson's aunt]

Hi great report

 

just a quick question does the Amsterdam still have the Yum yum man? last year His name was Victor (sp)

 

Mary

[Steppy08]

Wonderful -- review and pictures.

 

Don't worry about breaking the rule -- and skipping the disembarkation talk. We haven't gone to one since the early 90's.

 

AND a couple of ships have already done away with the disembarkation talk -- and it is to be fleet-wide soon.

 

Thanks! I wonder how many people actually go to those anyway... with the ability to pump that info into each stateroom via TV it seems that would be easier on the staff.

 

Now if they served Pea Soup at the Disembarkation talk... THAT would be another story...:D

[Steppy08]

Steppy08: What a fantastic review! Have enjoyed this so much. Love your personality and sense of humour!

 

Thank you so much.

 

Ellen

 

Thanks Ellen. As soon as I finish up with this I'm going to start reading yours on the Volendam. It's always interesting to read about someone else's trip, especially when it was pretty much the same time as ours.