14 Day Statendam Alaska Cruise--July 27

[Steve Q]

We are planning to book an outside cabin on the Statendam for July 27. We have sailed on two previous Alaska cruises that included Glacier Bay, Juneau, Ketchikan, etc. Our prior experience includes 6 HAL, 2 Celebrity, and 2 Princess voyages.

 

My questions concern both the ship and the ports. I understand that the Statendam will be transferred to another line a few months after our sailing. Has anyone sailed on her recently? If so, could you comment on her condition? This is an itinerary that we would really like to experience, but I want to make sure that the ship has been maintained properly. Also, does anyone know if the "Dive In" restaurant change was ever made on this ship?

 

Secondly, I would like to inquire about the ports of Anchorage, Homer, Kodiak, and Icy Straight Point. Has anyone taken either a HAL or private excursion in these ports? I would appreciate any recommendations or other thoughts on this itinerary.

[lazey1]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. We were aboard the Statendam in November and we are booked for the 14 day Alaska cruise in June. The condition of the ship was excellent. She is transferring to another line that is under the Carnival umbrella and will have some major changes made at that time. You may find a few cosmetic flaws that are to be expected in an older ship. Dive In Restaurant was open, thr hot dogs are fantastic.:)

 

We can not answer your questions about the ports of call excursions.

 

There is a roll-call for your cruise. I am sorry I am computer illiterate and don't know how to provide a link for you.:o Hopefully you can find it by clicking on Find Your Holland America Roll Call.

[Rusty Scupper]

The Statendam, in January, was in excellent shape.

[PathfinderEss]

Icy Straight Point is so beautiful. I really don't think you need a tour there. They have an old cannery that you can go thru that is set up to be educational. Lots of little stores too. You can walk around the area, go into a park and just enjoy the day. All are very close. They also have the world longest zip line, if that would be something you like.

[Loreto]

We are planning to book an outside cabin on the Statendam for July 27. We have sailed on two previous Alaska cruises that included Glacier Bay, Juneau, Ketchikan, etc. Our prior experience includes 6 HAL, 2 Celebrity, and 2 Princess voyages.

 

My questions concern both the ship and the ports. I understand that the Statendam will be transferred to another line a few months after our sailing. Has anyone sailed on her recently? If so, could you comment on her condition? This is an itinerary that we would really like to experience, but I want to make sure that the ship has been maintained properly. Also, does anyone know if the "Dive In" restaurant change was ever made on this ship?

 

Secondly, I would like to inquire about the ports of Anchorage, Homer, Kodiak, and Icy Straight Point. Has anyone taken either a HAL or private excursion in these ports? I would appreciate any recommendations or other thoughts on this itinerary.

Hi Steve! My DH and I are on the July 27th Statendam sailing too! The roll call is not very active, so I don't know if we will have a meet and greet.:(

We were on the Statendam ...same cruise as lazey1 last November, and I agree the ship is well maintained. :) We were very happy with food and entertainment quality, but we aren't too demanding. Dive In was tasty.

 

This will be our third time on the 14 day itinerary .....the ports are great! We have never taken private tours in any of your mentioned ports. Kodiak is easy to do on your own, walking from the ship into town.....the sites on tours are all in a general area and easy to do on your own...the various museums. The ship docks about a mile from town, but it is an easy walk along the waterfront. There are shuttle busses.

 

Anchorage ran shuttle busses into the city. Icy Straight was a pleasant surprise! After spectacular whale watching we had lunch on the pier,explored the shops and displays and walked in the woods and sat by a campfire overlooking the water. No Diamonds International here...very remote and peaceful.

 

HAL is offering great deals now with the Anniversary Sale and shipboard credit and upgrades right now, so go for it. We have always booked a lower prom stateroom which has worked just fine for glacier viewing.

 

I hope this helps!

 

Karen

[zelker]

Here's the link to the July 27th roll call: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2159353 For some reason this year most of the roll calls for this itinerary are really slow so you might want to read through all of them.

 

My husband and I did this cruise (on the Amsterdam) in 2010 and are doing it again on the July 13th sailing. It's a fabulous itinerary and many people sail it more than once.

 

We've been to the four ports you mention and set up everything independently, both in 2010 and again this year. That said, it's hard to make suggestions re: what to do without knowing what interests you.

 

Barb

[Assateague Island Princes]

Fantastic Alaska itinerary, I've done it three times - albeit on the beautiful Amsterdam. You are in for a treat.

 

With respect to your inquiry about excursions - here are some of my favorites:

 

Kodiak - 3 hour van tour w/Dake from Memorymakers (private excursion, you can Google it for his website). Informative and fun, Dake is a quirky and enjoyable individual. Great memories of walking thru the paths at Ft. Abercrombie, picking (and devouring!) the abundant salmonberries along the way.

 

Homer - My favorite place on earth! If you are fans of the "Deadliest Catch" tv show, be sure to check the large boat harbor - the Time Bandit home ports there, and you can walk right down on the dock for photos. We've also seen several other ships from the tv show there (as well as the large boat harbor in Kodiak). Walk the Spit enjoying the views and the lovely handcrafted items for sale in the shops, lunch at Capt. Pattie's is always a treat - best halibut and oysters ever, take the shuttle to town to visit the Islands and Oceans Center and the fantastic Pratt Museum, rent bikes to ride along the Spit, rent a car and drive out to Dr. Linda Chamberlain's Howling Huskies Homestead for a private and fascinating tour of her recreational dog mushing kennel. Watch for seals and sea otters right off the beach along the Spit. Take a seaplane flight to Dick Proenekke's cabin at Twin Lakes/Lake Clark with Stellar Air - pricey but oh so worth it if you are a fan of this amazing man.

 

ISP - fantastic port for whale watching/bear searches. We've gone twice with Capt. Dan of Misty Bay Lodge for both whale watching and bear searches. Jackpot! Saw numerous instances of bubblenet feeding and breaching on our whale watches - how lucky is that! And my bear search was a success as well - two huge bruins, one fishing for salmon in the stream just beneath the bridge we were standing on, and one old boar eating his way thru a blueberry patch right next to the road. Misty Bay Lodge also has wonderful homemade ice cream (gotta try the Loganberry!) and halibut pizza, along with delicious chowders, sandwiches, etc. for lunch following your tour with them.

 

Anchorage - we've always rented a car (take a cab to the Enterprise office on 5th Ave.) and then driven north to Hatcher Pass, Wasilla for the Iditarod headquarters, and a visit to Martin Buser's Happy Trails kennel (Martin is a 4-time Iditarod winner and the tour of his facility, with him as your guide, is not to be missed!). Stop at the Eagle River Recreational Center on your way back to town for a nice hike on their interpretive trails. Drive to Matanuska Glacier and do an ice climb or just walk out onto the glacier. The views along the Glenn Highway are hard to beat! Take the shuttle into town and visit the weekend market - tons of handcrafted items, fresh fruits/veggies and Alaskan fare for sale.

 

Enjoy your trip - wish I was doing this sailing again this year. Instead we are taking a 15 day land only trip to Fairbanks and Denali in the fall. Looking forward to seeing the National Park in all it's autumn splendor and hopefully (God willing and the creek don't rise!;)) seeing the Northern Lights from our rental cabin near Fairbanks. Smooth sailing to one of our favorite places on earth. Alaska will just capture your heart - trust me, you'll be back!

[trophy_23]

We did this trip in 2012 on the Amsterdam and it was amazing! Here is the review I did with some pictures

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1672825

[zelker]

We did this trip in 2012 on the Amsterdam and it was amazing! Here is the review I did with some pictures

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1672825

 

Thanks for posting your review. Great photos.

 

We're booked to fly out with Sea Hawk Air in the later part of July and I'm curious if you knew ahead of time that you were flying over to the Kenai rather than flying down to see the bears at the fish ladder at Frazer Lake or was it a last minute decision based on weather/other factors?

[trophy_23]

Thanks for posting your review. Great photos.

 

 

 

We're booked to fly out with Sea Hawk Air in the later part of July and I'm curious if you knew ahead of time that you were flying over to the Kenai rather than flying down to see the bears at the fish ladder at Frazer Lake or was it a last minute decision based on weather/other factors?

 

 

Thanks! We actually were given then option by our pilot. He said we could head down to the lake and see lots of bears and probably some cubs, but there would be a ton of other planes and people. The other option was Katmai but we would be the only ones there. Naturally we took the option where we would be alone, we like getting away from the crowd when possible. We flew over Kodiak Island and saw some 'kodiak bears' from the air as well as some other wild life. We saw lots of bears once we landed and were able to spend as much time with each group as we felt like. Ask the pilot to do a fly over of the ship on the way back to land in the basin, we got some great shots of the Amsterdam. All in all it was a fantastic experience and I can't wait to get up that way again. No time this year to get on the 14 day cruise even though there appear to be some decent deals, maybe the 7 day just because we love Alaska and it's easy for us here in Vancouver, but not sure the 7 day will ever compare now after doing this itinerary!

[zelker]

I don't think anything compares to the 14 day itinerary.

 

How awesome that it was just the two of you on the flight! When I booked it, Jo told me that there was another group (2 or 3?) booked from the ship. In any case, guess we'll see what Sea Hawk recommends - if they give us an option. Being there a bit later than you were (July 22nd) might make a difference where the best bear action will be. About how long did it take to fly over to Kenai and how long were you on the ground?

 

And thanks for the tip - we'll definitely ask them to do a fly-over of the ship. We did that in Juneau coming back from a helicopter trip to the glaciers and it was actually pretty cool to see how little ships look from above and how big they are when you're walking from one end to the other. ;)

[Himself]

I was on this cruise four or five years ago and I just loved it. I will be the priest chaplain on your sailing OUR LAST STOP will be in Victoria B. C, If a tour of Buchart Gardens is offered, please take it. It is most beautiful.

[Steve Q]

Thanks everyone. What great responses! You have all been so helpful.

 

"Loreto", perhaps we will see you during the cruise. We will go on the roll call once we book. We just moved from Scottsdale, AZ to Frisco, TX so we are looking for a local travel agent.

 

"Zelker", thanks for the link and great photos.

 

"HIMSELF", I am certain we will see you at Sunday Mass. Glad you are sailing on the same itinerary. We have been to Butchart Gardens before, but it has been many years. We might consider a visit since we have all day in port.

 

Thanks again everyone.

[judynorth]

We will be on this cruise also. It is our second time on this itinerary and love it. We decided that it was the perfect trip to take to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. I look forward to seeing you on the roll call.

[Loreto]

I was on this cruise four or five years ago and I just loved it. I will be the priest chaplain on your sailing OUR LAST STOP will be in Victoria B. C, If a tour of Buchart Gardens is offered, please take it. It is most beautiful.

 

Looking forward to meeting you on our sailing...I always volunteer as a Lector when I cruise.

 

Butchart Gardens are spectacular...this will be our 4th time in Victoria....a special place...I wish the ship stayed there longer.

 

The best part about this cruise is seeing the Hubbard Glacier!:)

 

Karen

Edited May 1, 2015 by Loreto
added info

[trophy_23]

I don't think anything compares to the 14 day itinerary.

 

 

 

How awesome that it was just the two of you on the flight! When I booked it, Jo told me that there was another group (2 or 3?) booked from the ship. In any case, guess we'll see what Sea Hawk recommends - if they give us an option. Being there a bit later than you were (July 22nd) might make a difference where the best bear action will be. About how long did it take to fly over to Kenai and how long were you on the ground?

 

 

 

And thanks for the tip - we'll definitely ask them to do a fly-over of the ship. We did that in Juneau coming back from a helicopter trip to the glaciers and it was actually pretty cool to see how little ships look from above and how big they are when you're walking from one end to the other. ;)

 

 

It has been a few years now but Im going to say the flight to Katmai was 45min or so. There was stuff to see the whole way, so the time flew by. Flying over Kodiak Island was spectacular plus looking for (and seeing) wildlife from the air was a lot of fun. We saw quite a few whales from the air also. The only other plane we saw the day we were out was Jo with another group. Willie told us we wouldn't see anyone else other than them and we didn't. We spent a few hours on the water in different areas, it was up to us when we wanted to move along which was great. They also packed a great lunch for us which was nice for the flight back. I hope you have a good camera and a few huge memory cards! Most of my bear shots were taken with a 70-200mm. I had a 300mm along but much of the time we were actually too close for a 300mm to be any use.

[NMLady]

We were on this cruise in 2010 on the Amsterdam. Fantastic!

 

If you have not yet discovered the Alaska forum on CC, head to it. Lots of great info there. If Budget Queen is still posting there hers are always full of information.

[Steve Q]

Well we finally booked our cruise a few days ago. We booked a category D Oceanview on the Lower Promenade Deck. Actually, we are pleased that we waited as the cruise fares dropped over the last few weeks.

 

While we have sailed to Alaska before, many of these ports will be new to us. In addition, we are really looking forward vacationing for two weeks.

 

If anyone has any excursion suggestions for Homer, Kodiak, ISP, or Anchorage, I would really appreciate it as these are new ports for us.

[Assateague Island Princes]

You picked a winner! I've done this itinerary 3 times since 2010 - haven't been disappointed yet. Here are some on the fly recommendations:

 

ISP - whale watching and/or bear search with Misty Bay Lodge. Fantastic!

 

Kodiak - 3 hour tour with Dake from MemoryMakers. Interesting, quirky guy with excellent insights to life in Kodiak.

 

Anchorage - rent a car and head north to Wasilla to visit the Iditarod Headquarters, then travel a bit further north to Big Lake to visit Martin Buser's Happy Trailers Iditarod Kennel for an amazing personalized tour of his mushing kennels and his take on life on the Iditarod trail. (Are you sensing a theme here? We love dogs:D). Stop at Thunderbird Falls or Eagle River recreation area on your way up or back for a great hike. Visit the Reindeer Farm in Palmer. Go to the Anchorage weekend market for a glimpse into Alaskan life - excellent regional foods, beautiful handmade crafts, etc. Go to the Aurora show in Anchorage - gorgeous photos and videos of the Northern Lights set to music.

 

Homer - my very favorite! Rent a car and go to Dr. Linda Chamberlain's Howling Husy Homestead off East End Road for a tour of her recreational mushing kennel (....those dogs again;)). Stop at the Homer Brewery for some brew tastings and be sure to try their Chai tea - delicious! Stop at the Pratt Museum. Take a flightseeing tour to Dick Proenecke's cabin on Twin Lakes with Stellar Air. Walk along the large boat harbor to search for the crab boats from the "Deadliest Catch" tv show - the Time Bandit homeports there and we've seen her every time. Have a delicious meal at Capt. Paddies on the Spit - amazing fish and chips or Kachemak Bay oysters. Go out to the Lands End Resort at the end of the Spit and watch the fishermen - both human and of the eagle variety - hauling in their catch. Keep an eye out for the sea otters floating right off shore. Visit the shops along the Spit for handcrafted, non-touristy, very unique items - particularly the sea glass jewelery.

 

Have a wonderful time, enjoy the Great Land. You'll be back....;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Congratulations on finally booking and getting a lower fare.

The best whale watching we have had is at Icy Straight. We booked through the ship.

Homer and Kodiak we did our own thing.

Since we had stationed ourselves in Anchorage a few years ago for several days, we pretty much did everything there was to see there. By the visitor's information cottage in town, there are a lot of bus and trolley tours you can book.

[RuthC]

If anyone has any excursion suggestions for Homer, Kodiak, ISP, or Anchorage, I would really appreciate it as these are new ports for us.

I've done this cruise three times on HAL, and a similar itinerary on another cruise line.

 

By all means, so some flight-seeing. That was the first piece of advice given to me on my first Alaska cruise, and it was spot on.

You can do flight-seeing over Denali out of Anchorage via HAL; they also offer flight-seeing over the Kenai Peninsula.

 

Last year I took a long boat tour out of Homer, which I thought excellent. If you haven't seen enough water by the time you get there, it was well worth it.

I also did a boat tour out of Kodiak last year, and that was also a great time.

There are other places of interest in both locales. In Homer, I highly recommend a visit to the Pratt Museum. And stop in for a drink at the Salty Dawg Saloon out on the spit. (it's one of the required stops as you "drink your way around the world" I was told). It is a fun place.

HAL also offers tours in Kodiak that take you to the Orthodox Church, Abercrombie State Park (there's a good WWII museum there), and a couple of museums in town.

 

The natives do a presentation at Icy Strait Point that explains, in show fashion, the origins of their world. It was very good.

 

Hope that helps.

[KruzPrincess]

Well we finally booked our cruise a few days ago. We booked a category D Oceanview on the Lower Promenade Deck. Actually, we are pleased that we waited as the cruise fares dropped over the last few weeks.

 

While we have sailed to Alaska before, many of these ports will be new to us. In addition, we are really looking forward vacationing for two weeks.

 

If anyone has any excursion suggestions for Homer, Kodiak, ISP, or Anchorage, I would really appreciate it as these are new ports for us.

 

I just booked this yesterday, too, and I booked a cabin on the Lower Promenade deck. I'm happy to read all the glowing reports on the itinerary.

 

:)

[Himself]

Here's the link to the July 27th roll call: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2159353 For some reason this year most of the roll calls for this itinerary are really slow so you might want to read through all of them.

 

My husband and I did this cruise (on the Amsterdam) in 2010 and are doing it again on the July 13th sailing. It's a fabulous itinerary and many people sail it more than once.

 

We've been to the four ports you mention and set up everything independently, both in 2010 and again this year. That said, it's hard to make suggestions re: what to do without knowing what interests you.

 

Barb

 

I am on the July27th sailing. I will be the Chaplain. I did this on the Amsterdam a few years ah\go and I just loved it.

[judynorth]

I am on the July27th sailing. I will be the Chaplain. I did this on the Amsterdam a few years ah\go and I just loved it.

 

I think you were on the cruise with us in May 2011. We just HAD to go again.

[Himself]

I think you were on the cruise with us in May 2011. We just HAD to go again.

 

Mine was in mid July of 2011.