2014 Alaska Challenge

[Mytime2014]

Who will be the 1st to post daily programs/menus etc from Alaska?!

 

62 days and I'll be in vacation mode - I can't wait to read about the food, the programs, the entertainment. Especially on the Westerdam.

 

I'm so jealous of everyone going before me - so please please give me little tidbits to add to my list of things to look forward to!!

[nana51]

Me too! I'm going late August, my first Alaska cruise. I'm wondering what they serve on the Oosterdam to Alaska. since I don't like fish it will limit my choices. :)

[runnergirl71]

85 days to my first HAL cruise - Westy to Alaska! Super excited!!

 

 

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[KAYEF]

Me too! I'm going late August, my first Alaska cruise. I'm wondering what they serve on the Oosterdam to Alaska. since I don't like fish it will limit my choices. :)

 

You will most likely have beef, poultry, pasta, vegetarian, pork to choose from..........a big variety. For me, there's always more than one from which to choose.

 

There will be a variety of soups, salads, fruist, cocktails (ie: prawn) and THEN..............several desserts, too.

 

Have fun!

[runnergirl71]

Me too! I'm going late August, my first Alaska cruise. I'm wondering what they serve on the Oosterdam to Alaska. since I don't like fish it will limit my choices. :)

 

 

I'm in the "don't like fish" boat too. But it sounds like we'll have plenty of other meat to choose from!

 

 

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[CowPrincess]

Who will be the 1st to post daily programs/menus etc from Alaska?!

 

62 days and I'll be in vacation mode - I can't wait to read about the food, the programs, the entertainment. Especially on the Westerdam.

 

I'm so jealous of everyone going before me - so please please give me little tidbits to add to my list of things to look forward to!!

 

Exactly 3 weeks to wait for my Alaska cruise :) I'll try to remember to bring back some "stuff" .... we'll be on Zaandam though.

 

If you are on Westerdam, you get to go to Sitka. My absolutely favorite Alaskan port. Enjoy!

 

(I'm hoping that my "trip report" is a complete RAVE about all the whale sightings on my small-boat whale watch :D )

[Mytime2014]

I want to be surprised on one hand, on the other - I want to know what to expect. And I want to know that the crème brulee will be good.

 

oh how I love food - it's going to be tough to make choices. I'm going to have to spend some serious amount of time walking!

[CowPrincess]

I want to be surprised on one hand, on the other - I want to know what to expect. And I want to know that the crème brulee will be good.

 

oh how I love food - it's going to be tough to make choices. I'm going to have to spend some serious amount of time walking!

 

I've only had disappointing creme brulee once on HAL. And I've had it many many times :D Silky, rich, perfect usually :D It is definitely worth the calories IMHO :D

 

What have you got planned for your ports?

[Mytime2014]

being a little timid about getting back to the ship on time so I booked through HAL - the 6 hr combination from Juneau - whale watching, mendenhall and orca point lodge

Sitka - Wild arts tour/glass blowing and hoping to get in a city bus for bit of sight seeing

and Butchart Gardens in Victoria [friend really wanted this one]

Ketchikan - I just want to wander around and check out the totems - by then I think I"ll be brave enough to do it on my own!

 

The whale watch was my only absolutely have to - that and sitting on the deck watching the scenery are what it's for IMO.

 

I'm also looking for the have too to do in Seattle - we're going to be there on the 4th of July so who knows what it will be like. In San Antonio I don't want to leave the house because of the heat, the crowds and the drunks....so hoping for a 'nice' day in Seattle.

[CowPrincess]

If you get a chance in Sitka, I'd suggest you stop in at St Michael's church too. Regardless of what your religious persuasion, there is something very special there.

 

I'm Canadian, we have NEVER been to Butchart Gardens, but it is on my list for my next visit to Victoria. Everyone we have ever spoken with about it is just blown away by it.

 

There's a Visitor Center in Ketchikan right at the dock. They have a very good walking tour map. This year I'm going back to the Totem Heritage Center. It has old totem poles, recovered from various sites. A real sense of history and spirituality there IMHO. Admission used to be $5, but it has been a few years since I was there. You have a short port time in Ketchikan but definitely enough time to see some of the town.

 

Don't feel badly about using HAL tours. DH and I still often use them when we are unfamiliar with an area.

[NMLady]

There is an Alaska forum where you can get lots of information.

[cruz chic]

being a little timid about getting back to the ship on time so I booked through HAL - the 6 hr combination from Juneau - whale watching, mendenhall and orca point lodge

Sitka - Wild arts tour/glass blowing and hoping to get in a city bus for bit of sight seeing

and Butchart Gardens in Victoria [friend really wanted this one]

Ketchikan - I just want to wander around and check out the totems - by then I think I"ll be brave enough to do it on my own!

 

The whale watch was my only absolutely have to - that and sitting on the deck watching the scenery are what it's for IMO.

 

I'm also looking for the have too to do in Seattle - we're going to be there on the 4th of July so who knows what it will be like. In San Antonio I don't want to leave the house because of the heat, the crowds and the drunks....so hoping for a 'nice' day in Seattle.

 

I generally book hal excursions too because i worry about missing the ship. Nothing wrong with that. I second what cowprincess said about sitka. Its one of the most beautiful places i've ever seen.

[cruz chic]

If you get a chance in Sitka, I'd suggest you stop in at St Michael's church too. Regardless of what your religious persuasion, there is something very special there.

 

I'm Canadian, we have NEVER been to Butchart Gardens, but it is on my list for my next visit to Victoria. Everyone we have ever spoken with about it is just blown away by it.

 

There's a Visitor Center in Ketchikan right at the dock. They have a very good walking tour map. This year I'm going back to the Totem Heritage Center. It has old totem poles, recovered from various sites. A real sense of history and spirituality there IMHO. Admission used to be $5, but it has been a few years since I was there. You have a short port time in Ketchikan but definitely enough time to see some of the town.

 

Don't feel badly about using HAL tours. DH and I still often use them when we are unfamiliar with an area.

Agree about butchart gardens. Im not a garden person by any stretch of the imagination but that place is amazing. Cowprincess has given me a few excursion ideas and I can be a bit of a hard marker but they have been awesome!

[CowPrincess]

Awww thanks cruz chic! :)

Edited May 2, 2014 by CowPrincess

[kazu]

I'm in the "don't like fish" boat too. But it sounds like we'll have plenty of other meat to choose from!

 

 

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There are lots of choices on the menus beside fish. If you want some sample menus go to HALfacts.com and you will see some good examples.

 

There is a lot of fish done quite well on HAL and if you are in an exploratory mood you might want to ask for a taste - you could well be surprised;)

[runnergirl71]

I'm on a running cruise, so some things are planned, but...

 

7/26 - depart Seattle

7/27 - at sea, 3-mile deck race

7/28 - Juneau, 3-mile trail race and Discover Alaska's Whales excursion in the evening

7/29 - Glacier Bay, just soak it in

7/30 - Sitka, 4-mile "adventure" race that takes us all over and probably the ocean raft excursion but that is TBD

7/31 - Ketchikan, 3.1 mile trail race and celebration at a lake (I forget the name)

8/1 - Victoria, TBD

8/2 - return to Seattle, hop-on-hop-off tour with luggage service and airport transfers

 

Like I said earlier, super excited!!

 

 

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[sail7seas]

I'm in the "don't like fish" boat too. But it sounds like we'll have plenty of other meat to choose from!

 

 

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Fear not.......

 

Though salmon is one of my favorite meals and it was great on our Alaska cruise, my DH always enjoyed prime rib, steaks, chicken, veal etc all prepared in a variety of ways. :)

 

[runnergirl71]

Fear not.......

 

Though salmon is one of my favorite meals and it was great on our Alaska cruise, my DH always enjoyed prime rib, steaks, chicken, veal etc all prepared in a variety of ways. :)

 

 

 

Thanks! I may give the salmon a try at one meal since a) it's already paid for (as in I don't have to pay for a meal I might not like as I would in a restaurant) and b) I have options if I don't like it! :)

 

 

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[Mytime2014]

I like most seafood, not so much salmon - tho I will try it in it's natural habitat or at the ship barbq.

 

The church at Sitka is definitely at the top of the list. I found the Alaska port of call forum and a link there earlier today with port info. I need to pencil in a calendar with excursion time vs free time while we're there [am I getting obsessive?!]. I think we'll have a couple of hours before the excursion there and maybe a little while after.

 

Glad to know I'm not the only one with can't miss the ship concern. I hope that on future cruises I will be a little more intrepid - but this is my first and I tend to walk on the safe side.

[TiogaCruiser]

being a little timid about getting back to the ship on time so I booked through HAL - the 6 hr combination from Juneau - whale watching, mendenhall and orca point lodge

Sitka - Wild arts tour/glass blowing and hoping to get in a city bus for bit of sight seeing

and Butchart Gardens in Victoria [friend really wanted this one]

Ketchikan - I just want to wander around and check out the totems - by then I think I"ll be brave enough to do it on my own!

 

The whale watch was my only absolutely have to - that and sitting on the deck watching the scenery are what it's for IMO.

I bolded your statement. As being on deck is important to you, you will want to be on deck if you go through Chatham Straight and Fredrick Sound on the way in to Juneau. If may be early.

And don't be too quick to leave the decks when the Rangers leave the ship at Gustavus/Glacier Bay. There could likely be a lot of whales still to be seen there, along Icy Point and Inian Passage as well as beautiful cruising all the way to the open ocean. We typically stay on deck for another 2 or more hours after leaving GB.

You will not want to miss sail in to Sitka. It is likely going to start early but the sail in to Sitka Sound can be magical. As you approach the anchorage you will see a lot of islands.

~TC (the Deck Rat)

[Mytime2014]

TC I am not much of a morning person - but am hoping to get an occasional nap so I can be up for sunrise/arrivals.

I can sleep in Texas - I want to see as much as I can in Alaska

[CowPrincess]

TC I am not much of a morning person - but am hoping to get an occasional nap so I can be up for sunrise/arrivals.

I can sleep in Texas - I want to see as much as I can in Alaska

 

You definitely want to try to be up early. There is something especially magical about being one of VERY few people out on the Promenade Deck in Alaska.

 

Last cruise I did to Alaska, the morning before we got to Juneau, I was out at about 6 a.m. There were plenty of humpbacks around, and because of the atmospheric conditions (no wind, a touch of fog) their spouts were just HANGING in the air. One of my best memories of Alaska cruising, and I have many wonderful memories to compare it to!

 

I'm in a Neptune Suite for my upcoming cruise, and I still intend to be on the Lower Promenade deck at every opportunity, to see all the wonders. :o