North to Alaska on the Amsterdam with Bill & May Ann - 14 days - 7-3-17

[ON cruiser]

As always, your reports are captivating, causing me to lose sleep or work-time to travel vicariously with you. Kidding aside, your efforts are most appreciated, and it was nice to read of your Alaska adventures in addition to your world cruise reports.

 

Safe travels home, and thanks,

 

ON Cruiser

[WCB]

Report # 13 SailingTowards Victoria, British Columbia Canada July 15, 2017 Saturday Partly cloudy & 61 degrees

 

Finally, a day at sea, as we leave Alaska behind, and headtowards Victoria, Canada, British Columbia. Although it was not advertised in the daily newsletter, there was a MarinerReception for a small amount of guests. Specifically, the 4 and 5 star, or 300 to 500 day Mariner members wereincluded with the passengers who were due to receive medallions. And the six of us President’s Club memberswere also recognized.

 

We were escorted to the “corral” in the center of the lowerlounge, where we were served Dom Perignon Champagne and a tray of canapes……..shrimp,pate, and assorted cheese squares. CaptainEversen and Bart, the hotel director were introduced. Then they awarded several folks withmedallions. Many bronze were given, afew silver and gold, and only two platinum. Photos were taken of each awardee.

 

Lastly, the six of us were called individually as couples,to have our photos taken with the officers. Later that evening, a complimentary copy of this photo was left in ourmailslot. Ginger and John just recentlygot inducted, followed by George and Marge who got in during the last couple ofyears. This is the first cruise that wehad the most days, and were called last. We had to chuckle that we had Dolly’s seat in the front of thegroup. She claims to have the most daysof anyone in the HAL family of passengers. She’s probably right.

 

Following this reception, we made our way to the lowerdining room, where we were escorted to a reserved table with Ginger andJohn. George and Marge, who are quiteelderly, passed on the brunch. The mealwas light, thank goodness. Seems like wejust ate breakfast. There was a choiceof salad or soup, salmon, beef, or vegetarian entrees. Dessert was the best……lemon meringuetart. This was served with bottomlesschampagne, if we wished, and coffee. Weneeded to be done before 1pm, because they were setting up for a second lunchfor the one, two, and three star Mariners. The staff really does an excellent job with these affairs.

 

At 1pm, there was another demonstration in the newlyappointed America’s Test Kitchen, formerly the Culinary Arts Center, which isreally the Wajang Theater. We have nothad the time to check out this new venue, but his morning there was a chocolateclass, and later, flavors of the Mediterranean. It is possible that there will be no moreguest chefs like we had had on past world voyages.

 

This afternoon was a perfect time for us to catch up on thelast couple of days with photos and reports. Watching a movie and some of the BBC series on TV, it was time for ourfinal cocktail party with our travel group. We joined our best buddies, Bill, Leta, and Bob at the gathering in theCrow’s Nest at 7pm. It has been apleasure being together again, especially with Bob, who does not often sail onthe grand cruises when we do. Next October,we will be meeting up with Bill & Leta when they are vacationing inHonolulu. We will be on the Eurodam fora 17 day run to the islands at that same time, so we plan to meet for dinner atthe Aloha Tower.

 

It was the final gala night, and we spent it in the PinnacleGrill. In the main dining room, wenoticed that the vast majority of folks dressed formally, just like in thepast. A few people did come in morecasually dressed (jeans and shirts), but they were in the minority. Sitting in the window seats in the PinnacleGrill, we did see tons of folks coming out of the show lounge dressed in shortsand t-shirts. Obviously they dined inthe Lido, which is great. In the olddays (now we are sounding really “old”), the rule was you had to be dressed forthe entire evening according to the suggested theme. That has gone out the window. This is simply the way all of the cruiselines are heading, if they are not there already. As for us, we like to dress up once a week,and it does not matter to us what everyone else chooses to do.

 

The entertainment in the Queen’s Lounge was “Dance”, theship’s singers and dancers performing for the last time this trip. We think they are a most talented group, anda step above the last few performers that have taken the stage. We also took note that many people go to theWajang for the movie, which was “Split”. Wonder if they still serve popcorn in there?

 

Looking forward to a nice day in Victoria tomorrow.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Copper10-8]

Enjoyed your review as usual! Save travels home tomorrow & see you starting in Singapore next year

[WCB]

Report #14 Victoria, British Columbia Canada July 16, 2017 Sunday Partly cloudy & 64 degrees Part #1 Of 2 63 Pictures

 

The capital of British Columbia, Victoria, is located on thesoutheastern tip of Vancouver Island. Originallybegun as a trading post for the Hudson Bay Company, it was part of the 1860’sgold rush. Now a popular tourist andretirement community, the residents and visitors can enjoy the mild climate. It has a distinct British atmosphere with tearooms, pubs, and double-decker buses.

 

Industry includes commercial fishing, lumber, navaloperations, and trade. Tourism is nearthe top as well. Marine-based activities are numerous, such as fishing,sailing, kayaking, canoeing, cycling, hiking and whale watching. Most of the ship’s tours offered many ofthese fun excursions.

 

But probably more famous has to be Butchart Gardens with 55acres of artistically landscaped gardens. There are at least 700 varieties of flowers this time of year. Thisgarden started in a limestone quarry in 1904, and 100 years later, it wasrecognized as a National Historic Site. Guess how many people visit these gardens in one year? Try one million. It is a little way out of town, but wellworth the ride. We have enjoyed visitsthere over the years, and have never been disappointed.

 

Another display nearby the gardens is the ButterflyGardens. It is housed within a 12,000square foot enclosure and has over 3000 butterflies in a natural setting withkoi ponds.

 

Tours offered today were one to four hours in duration, andran from $20 to $120. They included ahorse-drawn trolley through town, a guided stroll, parks, high tea, museums,farm to table tastings, and orca watching. Easy touring was a bus ride to see the Parliament Building, the FairmontEmpress Hotel, Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Craigdarroch Castle.

 

So we had the morning to pack, a chore we mostly hate. That is one good aspect of a two week cruise– we kept the clothes to a minimum this time, and also kept the bagsunderweight by 5 pounds when we left home. We bought very little, so there was no worry about overweightluggage. We may have already mentionedthis, but we took advantage of the Port Valet service. As long as we were flying a qualifying airline,and were leaving after 11am, this service was available to us. And it was free on top of it. This afternoon,we got our boarding passes, luggage tags, and directions for tomorrow. Once we put the bags out tonight, we shouldnot see them until we land in SFO. Theluggage fee for the airlines was put directly on our shipboard account. We’ll let everyone know how it worked afterwe get home.

 

The Amsterdam did not arrive to the port until 1pm. And it took a while before we were cleared bythe local authorities. The good news wasthat all aboard was 10:30pm, so we had the whole afternoon and early evening tovisit the city.

 

We had been enjoying the sail into the harbor, so when theyannounced the ship was cleared, everyone and their brother bailed down theforward staircase, blocking our way to our room. We think the majority of tours were alsogoing off at the same time. Oh well,they were in a hurry….we were not.

 

So by 1:45pm, we left the ship, walking to the center oftown. There was a stand with city mapsavailable for everyone right outside the gate. There was also a bus transfer to town for $10, and a horse-drawncarriage ride as well.

 

The first thing we noticed were new structures of condos andapartments with killer views of the harbor. Across the street from these highrises weretypical Victorian homes, all with English-style gardens. The first place we came across wasFisherman’s Wharf, a floating village with a handful of restaurants and cutelittle yellow water taxis.

 

We continued around the bend to the impressive ParliamentBuilding, which is full of history, as well as being lit up at night with13,000 lights. With its domed greencopper roofs, it must be a stunning sight. Near the sidewalk, is an ancient redwood tree that is also decked withlights at Christmas time, adding to the beauty of the area.

 

Right across the street from here is the Fairmont EmpressHotel, which opened in 1908 as one of the grand and elegant Canadian PacificRailway hotels. The granite foundations,stone, brick, and Douglas fir all came from Vancouver Island. It’s always nice to enter the hotel from aside entrance to see the traditional high tea being served in the delicateEnglish bone china tea service sets. Itis not surprise that you can purchase similar tea sets in an adjacent shop inthe hotel.

 

Exiting by the front of the hotel, we continued along thebeautiful scenic street lining the Inner Harbour. There was a very busy marina down on thewater, where people could catch the water taxis or enjoy the antics of a fewstreet entertainers or bands. In fact,all the way up Government Street, there were many young singers or musiciansworking for tips. Have to admit, therewere many typical beggars you encounter in large cities.

 

Numerous souvenir shops lined both sides of the street, butwe were looking for a restaurant. It wasalready after 3:30pm, and if waited much longer, it would be dinnertime. It has been a few years since we were here,and we could not remember the name of the restaurant where we had lunch. Naturally, pizza was on our minds, and wedidn’t want to settle for anything else today.

 

So we asked a local tourist guide, who happened to have astand near the Hudson Bay Co. Turned outtht the same place we ate, was nearby……Earl’s. Perfect. They had a good-lookingpizza from what we saw customers were ordering at the outside tables. Since the heaviest of the lunch diners weregone, we were seated inside quickly. Wesplit a margherita pizza with craft beers. The pizza was so, so tasty, we ordered another small one, since it wasthe happy hour price of $5. Adding achocolate volcano dessert with vanilla ice cream finished the meal just fine.

 

To do some window shopping, we headed across the street toBastion Square. Because it was Sunday,we assume, there were street vendors selling some clever souvenirs. More pubs lined this no traffic street. Reminded us of home, where we normally walkon Sunday morning at a farmers market, where they sell produce as well as localhoney and home-baked items. Going backup to Government Street, we popped into the typical shops, looking at saleitems. Most everything was expensive,and did we really need anything? Withour bags almost packed, we figured no, we did not need to add more.

 

It was more fun people-watching along the marina. Being that today was Sunday, the entire areawas full of locals enjoying this incredibly warm and sunny afternoon. Boy, did we luck out on this two week trip orwhat? The little bit of rain we had wasnegligible. By reading a local visitor’sguide, we learned that Victoria and Vancouver Island gets on the average of 24inches of rain a year, the least amount on Canada’s west coast. It seldom freezes, and if it does, it doesnot last long. That’s one good reasonthat this city gets over 3.5 million visitors a year. And the fact that it has been rated as thenumber three friendliest city after Auckland, New Zealand, and Sydney,Australia, comes as no surprise.

 

Taking our sweet time, we made our way back to the pier, buttaking a different route through the Victorian homes. Lined with huge shade trees, these quainthouses were well maintained with lovely gardens. We passed a community vegetable garden too,where some of the neighbors were tending it. Following a map, we came out to the correct street and the port area,where the ship waited. The last chanceto shop was in a small store in the terminal complex. It came as a surprise to us how crowded itwas.

 

There was quite a long line getting back onboard. Buses were just coming back from their tours,and the rush was on for early dinner. For most of this trip, we have had very efficient re-boarding withlittle or no waiting. For those whomight want to know, there has been a collection table set up for alcoholpurchases made in the ports. Since wehave not visited any duty free ports, we never did see the staff confiscateanything. And being that we are on thesubject of ship services, we believe the charge for the use of the laundry roomwashing machines is $2. That also coversthe use of the dryer.

 

It wasn’t long before it was time for dinner. This would be the last meal we would sharewith our friends, new and old. The onlyone missing was Patrick, who we never really did have a chance to know. We had missed six dinners in the dining room,and Patrick only came about four times when we were there. We certainly missed an interesting galadinner at our table, because we were in the Pinnacle Grill last night. They had a repeat crew member, Victoria, cameonce again to host the table. Guess sheliked us. If you remember, she is theshopping ambassador, who gives the pitches on buying souvenirs and high endjewelry. While in a few ports in Alaska,she became almost a personal shopping guide to places like DiamondsInternational, for instance.

 

Anyway, this gal has to be the liveliest and most energeticperson we have ever met on a cruise ship. Trust us, there was never a lull in the conversation at the table withher present. Dave and Bob had told usthat they had a hard time getting a word in edgewise. And the wine flowed like a river, they said. Stories about taboo subjects kept us laughingall through dinner tonight. All-in-all,we really had a nice table this cruise. Must have been good, since we seldom got out of the dining room before10:30pm. Of course, that was probably dueto the fact that one of our tablemates indulged in multi courses…….like threeappetizers, or a combo of three entrees and desserts. Taste-tester, and why not? Now we all know in advance what was the best,and what to skip. Our kind waiters,Andri and Jodi, were most accommodating.

 

Remember the old days, when the final menu was a farewellspecial? Well, those days are gone. The menu was still special, because all ofthe top chefs gave their most recommended specialties. The only traditional item missing was theBaked Alaska. No more parade through thedining room by the cooks and waiters. That display bit the dust a couple of years ago, as did thenapkin-waving as our favorite waiters passed by the table. Now it is a simple goodbye with no frills. With handshakes and hugs, we said our finalgoodbyes to all.

 

With a couple of things left to stuff in our suitcases, wehauled the three pieces out into the hallway for pick-up sometime during thenight. The next time we see these bags(God-willing), will be at our final destination in San Francisco. We noticed that we had not received a log ofthe cruise yet. Thinking they stoppedproviding those, we called the front desk, and were informed that everyone gotone with the nightly turn-down service. No, for some strange reason, the mail in our section of the ship hasbeen spotty. More than once, we had tocall and ask where some notices were. Wewere missing the customs form with our disembarkation envelope, and they had todeliver that. Anyway, with everything inorder for tomorrow, we set the alarm clock for 5am. Yuck……

 

Looks like the weather will be nice and sunny for the earlymorning sail into Seattle.

 

Will follow up with a final report once we are home. As always, it’s been a pleasure.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Mickb]

As ever a thoroughly entertaining and informative account of your cruise.

Looking forward to reading your reports of your Eurodam cruise in the Autumn.

Thank you for sharing

[durangoscots]

I have done this cruise twice and you have made me want to do it again. Thanks for sharing.

 

Susan

[WCB]

Report #15 Seattle,Washington July 17, 2017 Monday Mostly sunny & 75 degrees 21 Pictures

 

The Amsterdam sailed into the harbor in Seattle very earlythis morning. The sun was shiningbrightly and there was barely a ripple in the water. What a great way to end a fun cruise. Even though the ship was docked right ontime, the local authorities took their time clearing the vessel. Not unusual, it is something to keep in mindwhen booking a flight after ending a trip. If you can take an afternoon flight, it sure takes the pressureoff. This would be apparent later onwhen the ship was cleared, and the thundering herd would be getting off.

 

The Lido was opened at 6am, while the dining room opened at6:30am for breakfast. We chose thedining room, of course, mainly because we wanted to say goodbye to our favoritewaiters. It was a nice surprise to seeAgung, who has been in training for headwaiter, greet us at the entrance. He looked mighty fine in his new dark suitand silver tie, finally being promoted to one of the four headwaiters. He is the perfect candidate for the job,although, he will probably be re-assigned to another ship in the future.

 

Our assigned debark time was 7:45am, which was obviously notgoing to happen. The ship was finallycleared at 8:30am, but only that fact was announced. The groups that were to go off, were notannounced. Had we been waiting for thatcall, we would have missed it.

 

So there was no choice but to go down to deck three, andwait in the atrium lobby to get off. There was a “zero” count, where everyone on the ship has to go throughcustoms and immigrations, including the staff. Finally, they called for the A and B and expedited folks to proceed. We were escorted to a waiting bus because wehad prepaid transfers to the airport.

 

The good thing was that our luggage had been taken lastnight, and it would be delivered to the airport and put on our plane. We did not have to lug anything but ourselvesand two hand carry bags each. This is awonderful service.

 

There was some traffic that slowed the freeways, but nothingas bad as in San Francisco during commute time. Our bus driver was quite entertaining as he told stories and pointed outevery major attraction in Seattle along the way. He was even funnier when he got to theairport, and politely cursed the cars and taxis that blocked the bus drop offpoint.

 

We had plenty of time to spare, since our flight was due toleave at 1:05pm. But it was stillconvenient to have the TSA approved line to go through the easy screening. The best part was not having to take off theshoes. We also have to admit, the screenerswere most polite, and not grumpy as they can be sometimes. Another nice thing was having our boardingpasses, so we did not have to check in at the main desk.

 

Around 11am, we found a real restaurant with a table fortwo. We shared an order of cheese nachosand bottomless sodas, knowing that there would be no meal on the plane. This early lunch would be the last of the “fun”food we would share for a while now. Usually, we order salads and keep meals pretty healthy. Time to go back to normal, unfortunately.

 

The flight was good and short….less than two hours. The skies were clear of fog in San Francisco,and the temperature had to be in the 70’s. Not always the case in an SF summer. Since we were on Delta, the walk to get our ride was a little furtheraway, at the far end of United terminals. Getting a luggage cart worked OK. And there are still courtesy phones in the baggage areas to makecalls. Probably seldom used, they aregreat for those of us who do not have cell phones.

 

Our driver showed up right on time, but headed across theSan Mateo Bridge, because he had another pick-up at the Oakland airport. Actually, we are so used to using SFO, weforget to check into Oakland for flights. Mostly because we choose to go non-stop, and those flights have notalways been available in Oakland.

 

After dropping off the other lady in Concord, we proceeded outour direction, and found that our road had closed for through traffic justtoday. So we had the driver follow thedetour signs, like “over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s housewe go” excursion. At least he will knowthe detour now that we have done it in the daylight. According to the sign, the work to repair theslide damage will take until mid-October.

 

And so much for another HAL cruise….always fun. One good thing about a summer cruise, is thatwe have already taken care of the wild weed growth, and did not come home tohours of mowing.

 

If all goes according to our plans, we will be taking theEurodam back to Alaska for a week inlate September, then staying onboard for a 17 day trip to Hawaii. That will be our first cruise on that classof ship, so it should be interesting.

 

Hope to “see” you all then, if you care to follow theadventure!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[alibabacruisers]

Thank you very much for sharing all of your valuable information and interesting experiences! I enjoyed and appreciated it!

[ArtsyCraftsy]

Thanks for your reports! I'm doing this same cruise -- same ship, even -- starting September 11 - my first ever cruise. Reading your account helps me to visualize what the trip will be like. (I still need to go check out your photos ...)

[durangoscots]

Thanks for getting me interested in a return to Alaska!!! Have very much enjoyed the trip. I will be very interested to hear how you like the Eurodam.

 

Susan

[MMDown Under]

Thanks for sharing your interesting comments on your cruise to Alaska. Pleased you had good weather. The fortnight seemed to go quickly. Did it seem to go quickly to you also?

[Krazy Kruizers]

Got caught up on all your wonderful reports.

[Mystymom]

Bill and Mary Ann---thank you once again for sharing your wonderful cruise and amazing pictures with us. This was a great introduction to our Alaska cruise next week. Also congratulations on your 50th! We also chose the summer of 1967---aka the Summer of Love, LUV---to tie the knot. Guess we all made great choices 50 years ago!

[JamesEM]

Enjoyed your reports and photos, looking forward to your trip this Fall.

[DFD1]

Thank you for sharing your Alaska cruise. I learned a lot in preparation for our July 31 sailing the same itinerary.

[euro cruiser]

I cannot believe that after years of following your world cruises that I was on the same cruise with you and didn't know it! We even had lunch in Sitka at the same place and time.

 

It was a great cruise, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

[MMDown Under]

I cannot believe that after years of following your world cruises that I was on the same cruise with you and didn't know it! We even had lunch in Sitka at the same place and time.

 

It was a great cruise, I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

 

I had to smile at your experience. We all feel we know Bill and Mary Ann, after following their world cruises for years.

[WCB]

Many thanks for all of your comments. We certainly appreciate it.

 

Euro Cruiser - sorry we missed seeing you at the hotel in Sitka. If we had not forgotten about the Cruise Critic meeting, we may have met you there. Glad you also enjoyed the cruise.

 

Copper John - Looking forward to seeing you in Singapore. Glad you following us in Alaska!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[euro cruiser]

Honestly, as this was my first time on the Amsterdam, more than once I remember telling my brother something about the ship that I'd read in your blog, or something you'd said about the world cruise. For all I know you were standing behind me as I was doing it!

[snookymom]

we enjoyed traveling with you on another great adventure. Thanks for your wonderful reports.

[Flyingfish]

I'll be there. Never miss one of your adventures. And, thanks for all you two do.

[Fred321]

Thanks again guys. Great to hear about Agung. He really deserved the promotion and he must look dashing in the new uniform. We are heading for a back to back in Oct. on the Koningsdam. Think the Amsterdam is more our type of ship but figured we'd go see it before we made up our mind. Will be following your upcoming trips and hope to see you again on the World in 2019.

 

Rich and Peg