Dave’s Live from Amsterdam 14-day Alaska, August 24 – September 7, 2014

[Himself]

Now I know I do not avail myself of the spa services. I love those self serve laundries.

[carri cruiser]

OK, can anyone edumecate this knuckle dragger and 'splain what a "paraffin wax" is? Much obliged!

 

I believe it is when you have a pedicure, and they dip your feet into a dishpan of paraffin wax, then let sit with a nice warm towel wrapped around your feet, after a few minutes, they take off the towel, and peel off the wax! it is to make your feet feel as smooth as a baby's butt!! I have had that done many times, but only of the feet... maybe they do hands, too, but I haven't seen that!

[RetiredMustang]

I hope the seas are calm as you sail from Icy Strait Point to Anchorage.

 

Saturday, Aug. 30, at sea (cont.)

 

Thanks for the good wishes. We had great weather, sunny and not very much wind or wave action, but plenty of whales blowing and porpoises popping up now and then. Forecast for Anchorage tomorrow sounds promising.

 

Here is the dinner menu:

 

Appetizers

- Papaya with a Rainbow of Fruit (Splashed with banana liqueur and sprinkled with coconut shavings)

- Orange-Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail (Plump shrimp poached with oranges, served chilled over gourmet greens with an orange-coriander aioli)

- Crostini with Fresh Tomato, Basil and Prosciutto (Toasted bread slices crowned with basil-scented chunky tomato and thinly sliced prosciutto)

- Chicken and Mushroom Ragout (Served in a flaky puff pastry)

 

Soups and Salad

- Cream of Four-Mushrooms (A rich and warming blend of oyster, shiitake, button and enoki mushrooms)

- Lemon Turkey Spinach Barley Soup (Light and brightly flavored, enriched with celery, carrots, bell pepper and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese)

- Chilled Apple Vichyssoise (With a kick of apple brandy, sprinkled with diced Granny Smith apples)

- Roasted Beet and Blue Cheese Salad (Bibb lettuce, avocado, cherry tomatoes and red bell peppers)

 

Entrees

- Baked Ricotta Stuffed Shells (Served in a rustic garlic basil tomato sauce and gratinated with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses)

- Peppercorn-Crusted Swai Fillet (A mild-flavored fresh water fish, encrusted with ground black pepper, served sautéed with a whole-grain mustard sauce, poached fingerling potatoes and baby vegetables)

- “Land and Sea” (Master Chef Rudi Sodamin’s interpretation of Surf and Turf – filet mignon grilled to order with jumbo prawns, served with whipped potatoes and garlic rosemary beurre blanc)

- Crackling Pork Belly (Braised sauerkraut, boiled potatoes, and raisin-apple chutney)

- Pan-Roasted Barbary Duck Breast with Thyme-Mandarin Glaze(Collard greens with bacon and rosti potatoes)

- Baked-Stuffed Eggplant (With ragout of zucchini, onion, eggplant and tomato)

 

 

Tonight I had one of my favorite HAL dishes, the four mushroom soup – I thought it was excellent. I also had the “Land and Sea” (aka Cheapskate Surf and Turf).

 

 

 

Here is the dessert menu:

 

Desserts

- Pumpkin-Chocolate Cake (Aromatic and moist, studded with chocolate, cranberries and walnuts and drizzled with chocolate glaze)

- Chocolate Coconut Napoleon (Thin coconut crisps layered with dark chocolate mousse, accented with raspberry compote)

- Crème Brulee (Creamy, dreamy Grand Marnier-scented custard with a sheer layer of crisply caramelized sugar)

- Chocolate Delight no sugar added (Moist chocolate cake layered with dark chocolate ganache topped by white chocolate mousse and chocolate shavings)

 

Frozen Treats

- Vanilla Ice Cream

- Chocolate Ice Cream

- Lemon Sherbet

- Black Cherry Frozen Yogurt

- No sugar added Vanilla Ice Cream

- No sugar added Amaretto Ice Cream

- Mango Sundae (Vanilla ice cream covered with dice sweet mango and tangy mango sauce, with whipped cream)

 

Espresso Drinks

- Espresso $1.25

- Cappuccino $1.75

- Extra shot $0.50

 

Recommended Cordial of the Day: Southern Belle (Grand Marnier and Southern Comfort), $5.95

 

Available Daily

- The Gold Rush Baked Alaska (Cookies and Cream ice cream surrounded by vanilla sponge cake and coated in meringue dusted with gold, served with your choice of topping)

- Fruit Crisp of the Day: Blackberry Crisp (Fresh out of the oven, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream)

- Sliced Fruit Plate

- North American Cheese Plate (English Stilton, Brie, Edam, Old Amsterdam)

 

 

More later,

Dave

[utahtea]

It's a "B" class verandah suite on the 6th deck, port side, near the aft elevators.

 

Dave

 

We were in cabin 6214 on the June 22nd sailing. We would have been neighbors. Enjoying your live report.

 

Utahtea

[jimbri]

Wonderful review and photos. Thank you!

[kittercat85]

We spent some time in that 6th deck laundry room... although not sitting there waiting for it to be done, just drop and go back to the cabin :)

 

Our stateroom had that spa services brochure thing with all the prices in it the whole time. It was on the desk with all the other booky brochures.

[Aruba]

You haven't lived until you've spent some time in their waiting for your clothes to run through the dryer cycle. Can be quite entertaining, educational and good for the male soul ;)

Yes, "entertaining" is a good description. The washer cycles and dryer cycles do not align well, so as the day progresses there can be a backlog of wet clothes waiting for available dryers...and, in my experience at least, 1 dryer cycle is never quite enough to get the clothes completely dry.

 

On busy days, this brings out a WHOLE other side of people -- which is where the entertainment comes in.

 

I have heard about Security having to be called because of people coming close to blows. The funniest that ever happened to me was when my dryer stopped and a woman said to me ("snarled" is more accurate), "Those clothes are coming out NOW whether they're dry or not!". :eek:

[RetiredMustang]

Sunday, Aug. 31, Anchorage

 

Today is a long day in Alaska’s largest city. We do not have a shore excursion booked, but thought that we would take the shuttle into town to walk about and see things. There is an open-air market today, museums, and interesting shoreline trail, and shopping and eating places. The Alaska State Fair is going on a few miles away, and Aloha Pride said she and her husband were thinking of renting a car to take their girls to the fair. We thought we would just wander and see what strikes us (besides the city buses if we are not careful). The weather looks to be quite nice as we approach the port at dawn.

 

Here are today’s On Location pages:

 

 

 

 

 

And the Anchorage pages from the Explorer:

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave

[kittercat85]

Are you planning on going to the crew show? Our MDR server last week was Tirta and he was always singing Bruno Mars songs when he wasn't bringing food around... and he had a great voice!!! Just wondering if he is singing. We had the Filipino cruise show last week so he wasn't performing then. I think he said he did sing cruise before ours though.

[SightCRR]

If it is a clear day and you don't go far from downtown one of the few places to see Denali is from the top of the Penny's parking garage. I can't find the address now but it is near the Denaina drop off spot. Try this one of the first things before the clouds roll in to cover it. Be warned if you do see the mountain it will be a long ways off.

Sightcrr

ps Still really enjoying your review.

[retiretwo]

Keep up the good work with your reviews....I love reading them. Now my mouth is watering after reading about the Mushroom soup from last night. That is my ALL TIME FAVORITE soup on the "Dam Ships"!

[RetiredMustang]

Sunday, Aug. 31, Anchorage (cont.)

 

It is about 9:30 a.m. Anchorage time, and we are still not tied up to the pier. There was a container ship at the pier just aft of where we were to moor, and there was something on the pier that would have blocked the gangway if we had dome in port-side to as intended, so we have to come in starboard-side to. The problem is that there is a 5-6 knot tide race right now, which makes it tricky to maneuver, and the captain did not want to risk colliding with the container ship.

 

So, we laid to in the channel for a while to let the tide slack a bit. Right now, two tugs are making up to the ship and with their help and the thrusters, the captain is going to try to bring her in shortly.

 

It is a beautiful sunny day here. It was a bit chilly to start, but we have already shed the sweaters and jackets. The sun is burning off the clouds that were over Anchorage as we arrived a couple of hours ago:

 

 

 

And the sun is gleaming on the mountains behind the headland across the channel from the city:

 

 

 

 

The shore excursions staff is busy re-shuffling dozens of ship shore excursions, and those with private arrangements are trying to get together with the operators ashore.

 

Luckily, we had just planned to go ashore and walk about, shop and maybe have lunch. That still sounds like a great plan.

 

Thanks for the tip on the Penny's garage for possibly viewing Denali. Fodor's also said it might be seen from the Snow Goose restaurant and Sleeping Lady Brewing Company, which probably has more beer than Penny's.

 

More later,

Dave

[soccerpapi]

Dave,

 

I am enjoying your live cruise review. I love your photos and commentary.

 

Does anyone know why most cruises end or begin in Seward or Whittier when there is a port in Anchorage?

 

It seems like it would be easier to end or begin a cruise in Anchorage, as compared to Seward or Whittier.

 

Thank you.

 

soccer

Edited August 31, 2014 by soccerpapi

[lazey1]

I believe it is when you have a pedicure, and they dip your feet into a dishpan of paraffin wax, then let sit with a nice warm towel wrapped around your feet, after a few minutes, they take off the towel, and peel off the wax! it is to make your feet feel as smooth as a baby's butt!! I have had that done many times, but only of the feet... maybe they do hands, too, but I haven't seen that!

 

Another method is to massage and apply a moisturizer ,pour a cup of very warm paraffin wax into a plastic bag, immerse either one foot or hand in the wax, tie off the bag then wrap a warm towel, let it sit for a few minutes then take off the towel and peel off the wax. Do same for each foot and/or hand/or both. I have had both feet and hands done. Much more sanitary and feels wonderful. :cool:

[utahtea]

Dave,

 

I am enjoying your live cruise review. I love your photos and commentary.

 

Does anyone know why most cruises end or begin in Seward or Whittier when there is a port in Anchorage?

 

It seems like it would be easier to end or begin a cruise in Anchorage, as compared to Seward or Whittier.

 

Thank you.

 

soccer

 

It all boils down to $$$$. It takes a LOT of fuel and time to get to Anchorage so if the ship is not going to other places like Homer and Kodiak it's not worth it for the cruise line.

 

We talked with our excursion vender in Sitka he said that a lot of ships are no longer coming there because Icy Strait Point is easier and cheaper for the cruise lines to get to. Sitka's tourism is really hurting and that's sad because Sitka was a beautiful port!

 

Utahtea....who is really enjoying this LIVE report.

[geocruiser]

Love your review. The laundry room looks nice. It helps cut down on the packing if you can wash your clothes.

[Himself]

It all boils down to $$$$. It takes a LOT of fuel and time to get to Anchorage so if the ship is not going to other places like Homer and Kodiak it's not worth it for the cruise line.

 

We talked with our excursion vender in Sitka he said that a lot of ships are no longer coming there because Icy Strait Point is easier and cheaper for the cruise lines to get to. Sitka's tourism is really hurting and that's sad because Sitka was a beautiful port!

 

Utahtea....who is really enjoying this LIVE report.

 

Sitka is my favorite port.

[cruz chic]

Sitka is my favorite port.

 

It's one of my favs too.

[RetiredMustang]

Sunday, Aug. 31, Anchorage (cont.)

 

The tugs and some fine shiphandling succeeded in getting us moored, and we were cleared about 10:30. Only two of the shore excursions had to be cancelled – morning Discover Denali flights. The rest of the morning tours were delayed by an hour or two, and the afternoon tours went as scheduled.

 

We walked ashore with most of the rest of the passengers, and waited about 20 minutes for a shuttle bus to town. We walked around a bit, including to the top of the Penny’s garage, but there were clouds to the north, and Denali was not to be spotted. I did take a photo of the Town Square while I was up there:

 

 

 

We had lunch at the Glacier Brewery, where I had king crab legs and DW had what she reported was an excellent cheeseburger. We the walked around some more and went to the Market and Festival, where I became acquainted with a goofy moose at the bottom of a totem pole:

 

 

 

Besides the totem pole, there were other subtle clues that the market was in Alaska and not, say, Kansas:

 

 

 

Some of the market spaces were empty of tents, and while there were many people there, it was not crowded, perhaps because this is near the end of the season. I did spot Amsterdam at the industrial port from one end of the market:

 

 

 

We walked some more, poking into some of the many shops, such as those along 4th Street:

 

 

We then wandered back to the Dena’ina convention center to catch a shuttle back to the ship, and discovered many of the crew taking advantage of the free wi-fi there.

 

 

More later,

Dave

[cruz chic]

Thx for the update. Cool totem pole.

[innlady1]

Thank you for your continuing updates....looks like a lovely day, after all, in Denali!

[Himself]

Thank you for another great report on your day in Anchorage.

[colibri93]

Embarkation Day, Aug. 24 (Cont.)

 

I have decided not to try to post photos of the menus this blog, since I can never seem to get them in very good focus/contrast. Instead, I will just type them (I’m a quick and not too error-prone typist, so it probably won’t take much longer than trying to get/crop/post readable photos).

 

Here is tonight’s menu:

 

Appetizers

 

- Fresh Fruit Medley

- Citrus Alaskan Seafood Cocktail

- Chilled Green Asparagus and Oven-Roasted Tomatoes (with buffalo mozzarella)

- Mussels a la Mariniere

 

Soups and Salad

- Ketchikan Fisherman’s Chowder

- Cheese Tortellini and Vegetable Soup

- Chilled Mixed Berry Soup

- Mixed Seasonal Greens

 

Entrees

- Penne Primavera

- Fresh Catch Sauteed Rockfish Fillet

- English Roast Beef

- Whiskey-Glazed Barbeque Pork Ribs

- Roasted Chicken with Sausage Cornbread Stuffing

- Eggplant Canelloni Parmegiano

 

The “Always Available” menu was called “Master Chef Rudi’s Collection”

- French Onion Soup “Les Halles”

- Classic Caesar Salad

- Grilled Salmon with Ginger-Cilantro Pesto

- Oven-Roasted Chicken

- Broiled New York Strip Loin

- Baked Potato, White Rice, Steamed Vegetables

 

Here is the dessert menu:

 

Desserts

- Devil’s Food Cake

- Viennese Apple Strudel

- Lemon Torte no sugar added

 

Frozen Treats

- Vanilla Ice Cream

- Rum Raisin Ice Cream

- Lemon Sherbet

- Chocolate Frozen Yogurt

- No sugar added Vanilla Ice Cream

- No sugar added Chocolate Ice Cream

- Hot Fudge Sundae

 

Espresso Drinks

- Espresso $1.25

- Cappuccino $1.75

- Extra shot $0.50

 

Available Daily

- The Gold Rush Baked Alaska

- Recommended Cordial of the Day: Mocha Mint (Kahlua, Crème de Menthe and Crème de Cacao White)

- Fruit Crisp of the Day: Banana Crisp

- Sliced Fruit Plate

- North American Cheese Plate (Maytag Blue, Brie de Nage, Gouda, Leiden)

 

 

More later,

Dave

Yum!! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this wonderful blog.

 

Hendrika

[RetiredMustang]

Sunday, Aug. 31, Anchorage (cont.)

 

We returned to the ship, I posted about what we did for the day, then we showered and puttered about a bit, and went to the Ocean Bar for happy hour. There, we met up with a fellow imbiber and passed a pleasant hour or so -- hi again, Elsie! (although I’m not too sure about those pomengranate-ginger drops).

 

Here is the dinner menu:

 

Appetizers

- Watermelon Cocktail (Bathed in a zippy orange saude)

- Tomato and Salmon Carpaccio (Drizzled with wasabi mayonnaise and served with crisp crackers)

- Garden Symphony with Montrachet (Marinated grill-kissed mushrooms, zucchini, asparagus, green bell peppers with creamy herbed goat cheese, served with robust tarragon-balsamic vinaigrette)

- Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart (Baked in a flaky crust with herbs, tomato and cheese, served with fresh greens and basil-infused olive oil)

 

Soups and Salad

- Double-Baked Potato Soup (A velvety cream soup of pureed potato and cheddar cheese, garnished with chive and bits of bacon)

- Beef and Vegetable Soup (Clear broth with vermicelli, brunaise of root vegetables and tiny meatballs)

- Chilled Coconut Nutmeg Soup (A blend of coconut, yogurt, milk and vanilla finished with a dash of nutmeg)

- Salad of Arugula and Frisee (Accented with William pear slices, mandarin segments, pistachios, cherry tomatoes and organic mixed seeds)

 

Entrees

- Spaghetti Puttanesca (Spaghetti cooked al dente, tossed in marinara sauce flavored with anchovies, capers, black olives, garlic and oregano)

- Pan-seared Striped Bass with Artichoke and Tomato Confit (Lean fish fillet topped with a flavorful saute of chopped artichoke, tomato, onion, basil and lemon, served with a celeriac and potato puree)

- Three Peppercorn Roasted Sirloin (Slow roasted, served to your liking with a mild green pepper sauce, tempura onion rings, broccoli and savoy potato)

- Apple-Cider Brined Pork Chop with Cherry-Raisin Chutney (Served with sweet corn polenta and sautéed green beans with shallots)

- Chicken with Dried Cranberries and Orange Relish (This zesty favorite is served with roasted Parisian potatoes and assorted green vegetables)

- Oven-Baked Eggplant Parmigiana (Slices of eggplant breaded with a parmesan crust, layered with provolone cheese and baked in the oven, served with spaghetti tossed in marinara sauce)

 

Um, about the dessert menu … we won’t be presenting the dessert menu tonight due to technical difficulties/operator ineptitude. But, it was Jacques Torres night, and chocolate was a feature of many of the choices. We hope to resume our normal programming tomorrow…

 

 

More later,

Dave

[RetiredMustang]

Monday, Sept. 1, Homer

 

Today we are in Homer. We don’t have a shore excursion planned, but thought we might just walk along the spit, and join probably several hundred fellow passengers looking through the souvenir shops and maybe having a beer at the Salty Dog.

 

Here are today’s On Location pages:

 

 

 

 

 

And the Homer pages from the Explorer:

 

 

 

 

 

More later,

Dave