Alaska - HAL Volendam Review with pictures

[kristinp36]

 

 

 

 

[kristinp36]

SMART dog.....lol

 

 

 

 

 

[kristinp36]

Leaving Skagway

 

 

 

 

[kristinp36]

Edited August 9, 2013 by kristinp36

[kristinp36]

Day 5....Glacier Bay

 

 

 

 

 

[kristinp36]

[trouble1964]

Beautiful pics!! But the towel animals were a little sad looking :(

[kristinp36]

Beautiful pics!! But the towel animals were a little sad looking :(

 

We thought so too...they were made with hand towels. So they all ended up looking sad and not quite right. The rest of our family had full sized.

[kristinp36]

Glacier Bay....I can not describe how amazing this day was. We had great weather from the moment we woke up to the end of the day. Being determined to not miss a minute I was up early and didn't even eat until lunch since I was out on the bow first thing.

[kristinp36]

There was a Park Ranger stationed on the bow....he helped with spotting wildlife but his main purpose was to let the captain know if any whales were a head so they could avoid them. There was also a great Ranger that gave a nice narration while we sailed through Glacier Bay. I am not sure where she was situated but the information was piped through speakers on the bow.

 

They were selling, not serving, hot chocolate on the bow but I never saw any split pea soup.

 

There were lots and lots of otters swimming around.

 

 

 

 

Four whales in the distance

 

 

A group of Sea Lions.....this one had a fish

 

[kristinp36]

 

Mountain Goats....these guys are really really hard to spot....it became a game on the bow to spot them

 

 

 

[kristinp36]

[kristinp36]

[kristinp36]

 

 

If anyone can help me with the names of the glaciers it would be appreciated

 

 

[kristinp36]

 

 

Eventually the bow got pretty busy....I had been hunkered down all morning near the front of the bow with a couple other people. We would take turns moving around the deck and saving each others spot.

 

The following picture was taken at 11:00 am to give you an idea.

 

[kristinp36]

Not a very sharp picture but an Eagle on a iceberg none the less.

 

 

 

 

[kristinp36]

 

 

[kristinp36]

We had reached our main attraction so the captain stopped the ship and very slowly rotated the boat.

 

One of the bow before I left.....

 

 

I was STARVING at this point. We had all agreed to meet on the Lido for the Salmon BBQ. They were setting up when we arrived so we quickly grabbed 2 tables....all the outside tables fit only 4 people. We then took turns getting our food. Glad we were early because the lines started growing quickly. The food was really good and we all enjoyed it. They had a hard time keeping up on the demand for Salmon so there was a slight wait.....but they also had steamed mussels and various salads, etc.

 

 

[kristinp36]

Now with a full tummy it was time to take even more photos.....I decided to head for the upper deck to get a slightly different view.

 

 

 

 

[kristinp36]

 

:D:D:D

[kristinp36]

This whole day had been awe inspiring....it is hard to explain. I spent some time walking on deck 3 enjoying the view. It was quiet with just a few other people walking the deck also.

 

I then grabbed a deck chair and a blanket and spent 2 of the MOST PEACEFUL hours of my life watching the majestic scenery pass me by. It was a moment I will never forget...these 2 hours made the whole cruise worth it

 

 

The obligatory "toe" shot the everyone takes on a cruise....only this one included tennis shoes....lol

 

 

Edited August 11, 2013 by kristinp36

[kristinp36]

On the way out.....I hope to be back some day :(

 

 

An apology plate of treats due to the a/c issues

 

[kristinp36]

Sorry....I don't know how I posted the same pic repeatedly

 

 

Mom loved these flowers so a portrait it is....

 

 

[kristinp36]

Another beautiful sunset after dinner.....

 

 

 

[kristinp36]

Tonight was the Grand Dessert Buffet......it took place on the Lido deck. They allowed about 20 minutes for people to take photos before they started eating. I actually liked the bread portion better then the dessert.