Our First Dam Ship: Amsterdam to Alaska Trip Review

[Steppy08]

In all my cruises on HAL' date=' 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.[/quote']

 

Hmmm... so that's not normal? it was fairly impressive. Though admittedly, I kind of wished the tail was already cut because I almost made a mess of the mac and cheese part trying to cut the lobster tail in the dish. :rolleyes:

[Steppy08]

Hi great report

 

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

 

Mary

 

Thanks Mary. I honestly have no idea what you are referring to though. What is the "Yum yum man?" Either he's no longer there, or Steve and I didn't see or interact with him.

[Steppy08]

The same. And different.

So I'll start my summary with a review of Holland America itself. Steve and I are always looking for new cruise lines to try on our trips, and if it works out with our budget and itinerary we are willing to give a line a try. Here's what we were hoping for in booking HAL for this cruise: a good overall experience, centered on being at sea and in Alaska, with service and food better than we had experienced on other mass market lines. In addition, we were hoping for just a bit more refinement than on the other cruise lines. HAL delivered in some areas of that wish list, and not so much in others. Here goes:

 

The Amsterdam

The ship itself was everything we hoped for, and more. It was gorgeous inside, and the layout made it very easy to get your bearings. The art work was fantastic and the layout with its perpetual views of the ocean definitely made you feel as if you were on an old time sea voyage. The size - well, it does not have all the bells and whistles but Steve and I are generally not bells and whistles type of people. I mean, yes, we both did the zipline on the Allure - but we prefer a smaller ship that lets you be more in touch with the actual act of sailing the oceans. We loved it, and would sail on her again in a heartbeat. Preferably for longer than 7 days if we could.

 

The food

Let me just say it is a HUGE pet peeve of mine when people get on these boards and claim food tasted disgusting, inedible, or like dog food. First of all, that's insulting to the millions of people in the world who go hungry every day. Secondly, unless you have a personal 5-Star chef preparing your every meal, chances are it's still better than what you eat a home every day. Yes, I've had some things better than others on ships, but in the end I didn't have to cook it or clean up after it, so it was better than being at home.

 

Overall, the food was a notch above what we have experienced on our previous cruises. The dishes tended to be better prepared and cooked appropriately (not under or over done). There were a couple things that were just "meh," but most everything tasted good. The creme brulees and fruit sorbets were probably the big stand outs. I already gave my views about the so-called Red Velvet cake.

 

One thing I noticed on this cruise, which I liked, was that the food offerings were tailored to the itinerary. There was a lot of seafood and Alaskan/Yukon offerings. Despite whether or not this food was actually sourced in Alaska or not it was neat to see that on the menu. This was something we had been hoping for in our European cruise that never happened. I'm not sure if HAL does that with every voyage or the menu just happened to coincide with our cruise.

 

The entertainment and activities

This was where we really noticed the biggest difference in sailing with Holland America. The activities were interesting and relevant. There were cooking shows, and port talks that were actually educating you on the port and not about selling you something (of course they still had the shopping and excursion talks as well.) Steve actually participated in two activities! (Both involving showing off his golf prowess, but whatever...) It was less about partying hard and forced fun and more about relaxing and having actual fun. And there were a ton of things we wanted to do but never got around to.

 

As previously mentioned, we really enjoyed the live music. There was way more live music (and good live music) than we had seen on other ships. As for the shows, well, we didn't go to any. So I can't really comment on them. We just don't really go to shows on cruises.

 

The service

Sadly, this is where Steve and I were both disappointed. Obviously we still had a wonderful, amazing cruise, but we were hoping the service was also going to be a notch above other experiences. If anything, it was below standards we had experienced on other lines. After careful analysis on our part, most of the service issues had to do with lack of staffing. So I guess in some ways we really did pay for that great bargain on our upsell.

 

Dining Room - The whole procedure for As You Wish Dining was kind of a train wreck every night. We had to stand in line for 10+ minutes on some nights, even with reservations, simply because there were not enough staff to escort each group back to their tables. Luckily, on 3 of the 4 nights we ended up with Edy as our waiter. But as gillybean stated in one of her posts, not everyone was as lucky. Edy's service was great, though he did lack a bit of charm and personality that we are used to with dining room staff on cruise ships.

 

Room Stewards - Unfortunately, Heri & Heri were one of the more disappointing experiences of our cruise, and I really don't think it's their fault at all. In fact, they were probably the most personable and engaging staff members we met during the cruise. But we would leave for 3-4 hours in the morning and come back to our suite at noon to find that it was not made up. At first we were diligent in placing the "service please" placard in the key slot so they would know when we were not there, but after a few days that didn't seem to make any difference so we stopped. Twice in fact, Heri actually cleaned our room while we were out on the balcony. When they finally cleaned our room they did a good job, except for one large crumb on the balcony table that stayed there for a couple days (this was Steve's gripe, not mine.)

 

We found out later in the cruise that they pretty much had the entire port side of the ship by themselves. Well no wonder. I felt bad for them. They were always busy and in the halls, and yet our room was never done. I honestly think they were just overworked, especially on an all-suite deck. So that complaint is direct to HAL. And I wrote that on the comment card, too.

 

Overall it just seemed as though there needed to be a few more staff in every area to make everything work as it should. I have one more observation, but I'm going to post this in case the internet freezes up on me... and it has a couple of times when I've been typing for a while....

[Steppy08]

The staff

Our observations of the staff on this cruise led to an interesting discussion, fairly early into the voyage, between Steve and I. The majority of our cruises have been 7 days, and normally on those we manage to get to know several staff members fairly well. Not so this time. It seemed to us that the staff were generally not quite as friendly as we were used to. There was no small talk in the dining room, at the bars. We did have a few conversations with the Heris as we passed them in the halls. And generally speaking, we also noticed a bit more of a language barrier, especially with the staff in the Lido when requesting food or them clearing our plates. We wonder if it's because they don't have to speak English as frequently (because they are all from the same country). On other lines, sometimes English is the only common language the crew members have, so they are forced to become more fluent in it.

 

The little things.

In ending on a positive note, we really liked all the little things that HAL does. The personalized invitations to cocktail receptions, lunches, and notices were nice. The chocolates on your bed every night, as well as the reminders about changing clocks forward/behind. I LOVED the cruise log at the end of the trip. (Steve and I couldn't help but wonder what the World Voyage Log looked like! Maybe someday we'll find out.) In many ways it really was the just slightly more refined version of a mass market line that we hoped it would be. So although we have not been completely converted to HAL cheerleaders, if all things were equal in itineraries and close in price, we probably would prefer HAL for cruises in the future.

[Steppy08]

Alaska... the final frontier

 

So, having put off an Alaskan cruise for several years and somewhat reluctantly agreeing to go, what did I think of it?

 

It was spectacular. I wish I would have done it sooner. Somethings to keep in mind if you are like me and not sure about a COLD cruise:

 

-It's really not that cold. No, you won't be lounging in your swimsuit on deck with a pina colada and working on your tan, but if you can come to terms with not doing that for one vacation you'll be okay. I didn't miss lounging on the beach for one second on this trip. Once you look around at the breathtaking scenery you'll forget all about the beach and be clamoring for snow shoes to go hike a glacier.

 

-Don't expect sunshine. If you mentally prepare for steady rain and temps in the mid 60's you'll be fine, as long as you have waterproof stuff to wear. And then if it actually is sunny, you'll be pleasantly surprised.

 

-Pack a little more than you think you should. Yeah, this goes against every travel tip list. I had a little bit of everything in my suitcase - shorts, capris, jeans, sweatshirts - everything that could be layered. And yet I wished I packed a few more things - namely longer and more waterproof clothing, especially when I realized I would never wear my shorts or most of my short sleeved clothing.

 

So not only did I love Alaska, I would rank it as my second favorite destination. (Sorry guys, Europe is still #1 - though Alaska is now a REALLY close second). We will definitely have to go back, probably and do a north/southbound itinerary and spend some time in Denali.

 

 

Thank you all for reading my review! It is so nice to receive feedback and critiques! It was fun writing it and re-living one of the best adventures of my life with you. If you have any specific questions about our itinerary or excursions please let me know, I'm happy to answer them!

 

I wish you all "Fair winds and following seas..."

 

Cheers!

Amy :D

[jaspersmycat]

Thanks for a great review. I think this was one of the best I've seen. You were honest and fair in your comments. Your pictures were spectacular.

[Steppy08]

Thanks for a great review. I think this was one of the best I've seen. You were honest and fair in your comments. Your pictures were spectacular.

 

Thanks. I do have to give Steve credit for some of the pictures. But when you have great scenery all around you it's hard to take bad pictures!

 

I tried to be as "fair and balanced" as possible. I think it's more helpful to people than to say everything was great or terrible.

[KNOT2L82SAIL]

Streppy08, I so enjoyed your review. It was wonderful. Photos...outstanding.

I just thought I would put in my two cents regarding the staff not being very talkative. I am wondering if they have rotated from my last cruise this past December. There were so many of the workers in the Lido who would stop by and chat for a bit. Even the servers behind the counter. They made the cruise so enjoyable. My cabin steward was Beny and he no matter what, he had time to chat with the people he was taking care of. But then again, he did work very long days. Probably from being so personable.

I am so glad that you enjoyed the Amsterdam. She is a most beautiful ship.

And thank you for all of your work on this review. Loved it. :)

[jer_l]

So not only did I love Alaska, I would rank it as my second favorite destination. (Sorry guys, Europe is still #1 - though Alaska is now a REALLY close second). We will definitely have to go back, probably and do a north/southbound itinerary and spend some time in Denali.

 

Great review Amy!

 

If you keep trying new itineraries you may find Alaska moving up to a tie. :)

 

Many of the north/southbound cruises stop in Sitka or Icy Strait Point and Hubbard Glacier (Alaska's largest tidewater glacier) which will be all new facets of the Alaska experience.

 

Thanks again for your sharing.

[Rockfan2]

Our first Alaskan cruise was on the Rotterdam in June 2010 - 7 days. I joke that it was my first vacation that I had to buy rain gear before leaving. We had particularly good weather and only had one day of rain, in Sitka. Our guide told us it was the rainiest day of the season.

 

Last year we did the 14 day itinerary on the Amsterdam. Our 30th wedding anniversary. Met some wonderful people who helped us celebrate when DH surprised me with a renewal of our vows ceremony.

 

In September we are going back to Alaska for 7 days on the Oosterdam. As always, really looking forward to it.

 

Rockfan2

[Bead Babe]

So happy to read your review and looking forward to my trip on the Amsterdam in 2014. A warm thanks for an entertaining review.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[erewhon]

It has been a pleasure to read your fabulous balanced review.

Thank you and for sharing your equally fabulous photos.

[c-legs]

a BIG thank you .

 

very well done in everyway.

 

Enjoyable, descriptive, well written, superb photography, balanced , all encompassing.

 

Muchos gratias.

Cheers

[startwin]

Wonderful, well thought-out review, and great photos. I think you summed HAL up perfectly It's not the cruise line it used to be, but it's still better than most of the others, in many respects.

[fireflies]

Thanks for your great review:) It was flowy, fun and filled with nice insight, great tidbits fir new HAL cruisers. Your excursions look awesome.

I think that Glacier Bay is very similar to the Grand Canyon. The pictures are amazing, but its not until you're there in person that you realize just how vast it really is. Pictures can't even come close to doing this place justice. You should go there.

Was lucky enough to see both wonders on the same trip and had the same thoughts as you. They are different while being very similar like a natural yin and yang. Thanks again!

[pepsigirl64]

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

 

:D Victor is at home now.

[pepsigirl64]

:D AWESOME review!!!! Great pictures and commentary, I looked forward to your report on a daily basis!!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for taking the time to wrote your review and post pictures.

Excellent.

Many of us agree that the cutbacks are starting to show. WE have had some cabin stewards that have 30 - 34 cabins to do. This is quite a few compared to years ago when those of us staying in the Neptune Suites and Pinnacle Suite had only 1 cabin steward who did only 9 - 10 cabins.

[BlueLadyBlue]

Thoroughly enjoyed your review and photos. Alaska has moved up a couple of spaces on my "life list".

 

Where are you going next? I'll look forward to that future review.

 

Best wishes.

[Steppy08]

:D Victor is at home now.

 

Please explain!!! I'm curious. Who is the Yum yum man?!

[NMLady]

In all my cruises on HAL' date=' 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.[/quote']

 

I agree. The lobster Mac n cheese I had in the Pinnacle was excellent with nice large pieces of lobster in it, but there was definitely no lobster tail or anything else on top.

[NMLady]

Please explain!!! I'm curious. Who is the Yum yum man?!

 

The yum-yum man is right outside the MDR after dinner with a cart of yum yums like candied ginger, mints, and other after dinner goodies he hands out for free.

[Steppy08]

Our first Alaskan cruise was on the Rotterdam in June 2010 - 7 days. I joke that it was my first vacation that I had to buy rain gear before leaving. We had particularly good weather and only had one day of rain, in Sitka. Our guide told us it was the rainiest day of the season.

 

Last year we did the 14 day itinerary on the Amsterdam. Our 30th wedding anniversary. Met some wonderful people who helped us celebrate when DH surprised me with a renewal of our vows ceremony.

 

In September we are going back to Alaska for 7 days on the Oosterdam. As always, really looking forward to it.

 

Rockfan2

 

Trust me, it was very strange packing a knit cap, sweatshirt, and gloves for vacation. (The gloves were only for kayaking, btw)

 

I think once you accept the weather and embrace it you really enjoy it more. My first thought when it was raining wasn't "oh darn. This is ruining my trip. I wish it were sunny".... Instead it was "oh cool, we get to experience a typical day of Alaskan weather!"

[Steppy08]

The yum-yum man is right outside the MDR after dinner with a cart of yum yums like candied ginger, mints, and other after dinner goodies he hands out for free.

 

Oh! So THAT's what he was doing.

 

Well yes. We did see a yum-yum man every single night that we dined in the MDR. We walked right past him. Not once were we offered anything. I guess you have to go up and request the yum-yums?

[Steppy08]

Wonderful, well thought-out review, and great photos. I think you summed HAL up perfectly It's not the cruise line it used to be, but it's still better than most of the others, in many respects.

 

Well said.

 

In talking with Cindi and Roger we inevitably began comparing the "good ol days" of cruising. Very few lines (and none of the mass market ones) can live up to the experiences before all this tightening of budgets and lowering of fares.