ZAANDAM - 14 day ALASKA - May 21-June 4 - Quick impressions of ship and shore

[bcummin]

Alaska is indeed special.

We were thrilled to visit Alaska again last month on ms Volendam returning from Asia. Finally got to see Glacier Bay!

Ols Salt, have you ever seen the new floor mat with the ship silhouette pointing forward? DH Jack thought that they were only on deck one. He reminded me that an easy way to get your bearings is to just look at the ship diagram inside the cabin door. It also points forward.

I really envy your In Depth voyage in September and will be following any and all blogs and posts. We are dog sitting for a few months, so will have to wait for our next adventure. (grand-dog Max is well worth it)

You enjoy!

 

Barbara

 

P.S. Congratulations posting the photo. This new elevator thing was not part of the 12/2017 ms Volendam's upgrades.

Edited June 6, 2018 by bcummin

[PSR]

Originally posted by OlsSalt

HOMER - pitch for their local NOMAR Alaska wear and gear manufacturing shop - near Stop Three on the town shuttle: https://nomaralaska.com Always feels good to shop locally and not buy items made in China as "Alaska" souvenirs.

 

OlsSalt I think you might've missed this question I asked earlier (post #6):

 

We are going for our second time in August of this year. I have some questions about the Homer shuttle: 1) how often does it run (not clear on their web site); once an hour, or more often?, and 2) is there ever a problem with the bus being full when you want to board at one of the stops (the web site implied sometimes you can't reboard due to no space, could be a problem if it only runs once an hour)?

 

Thanks for any information.

 

Penny

 

P.S. Forgot to thank you for the great review!!

[OlsSalt]

Originally posted by OlsSalt

HOMER - pitch for their local NOMAR Alaska wear and gear manufacturing shop - near Stop Three on the town shuttle: https://nomaralaska.com Always feels good to shop locally and not buy items made in China as "Alaska" souvenirs.

 

OlsSalt I think you might've missed this question I asked earlier (post #6):

 

We are going for our second time in August of this year. I have some questions about the Homer shuttle: 1) how often does it run (not clear on their web site); once an hour, or more often?, and 2) is there ever a problem with the bus being full when you want to board at one of the stops (the web site implied sometimes you can't reboard due to no space, could be a problem if it only runs once an hour)?

 

Thanks for any information.

 

Penny

 

P.S. Forgot to thank you for the great review!!

 

Thanks for asking again. Yes, I did overlook your requested info. There did not seem to be any fixed schedule to the buses and were readily available, no long waits or over-crowded missed stops. The buses seem to come one after another with little waiting time inbetween - maybe 5-10 minutes?

 

They use school buses and the ladies who drive them are the regular school bus drivers who like getting this extra duty when cruise ships come in. They will offer you some local commentary and answer all your questions. But we also used them at odd times, after the first crush leaving the ship since we walked out to the Spit first and then took the town shuttle later in the day.

 

There are two routes - both leaving from the ship dock area. You will get a map with general directions to the four stops in town which is the fee shuttle.The second separate route is the from the one that is free that simply goes out to the Spit shops and restaurants and back. The Spit itself is the primary tourist destination area.

 

There isn't much to see in Homer town itself, except this is Homer- its homes, shops, facilities and gardens. But even a visit to a TruValue Hardware store at Stop One in this part of the world can be interesting to see what they stock for local needs.

 

And we were very happy to find this NOMAR Alaska clothing store at Stop Three. But it is the Spit that has more concentrated tourist article shops, small local restaurants, bars and cafes and local tour operators. There is a very interesting looking Maritime Center that we missed in town - not near one of the fee bus stops (Stop Four) but looks worthy of checking out ahead of time to see if you can find your way there with a few blocks walking. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Alaska_Maritime/visit/visitor_center.html

 

It was ...windy/raining ...... by then, so we did not spend too much more time walking around on the downtown route. If you did not arrange any other local tour, I would recommend doing the fee shuttle around the town of Homer itself, as well as having time to visit the Spit. We walked to the Spit shops which loops around the marina - it is long walk and we were happy to take the free shuttle back to the ship. The two routes only intersect for transfers at the ship dock itself.

[OlsSalt]

Ignore post .........Still testing working with Shutterfly .... and failing to post photos ...on a Mac. Sounds easy on a PC - right click and paste but this does not work on a Mac ....apparently

[feathersandnananose]

"complaints by several registered about the rimless MDR dinner plates and the loss of the cold soups ..."

WHAT? no more cold soups? Please tell me it ain't so......

[OlsSalt]

Ignore - still testing:

[scluvsrain]

For those of you who love the 14-day Explorer Cruise, there’s a new one in 2019 that’s 21 days!

 

It’s on the Maasdam and I think only two or three dates. I booked the June 18th departure. It’s RT San Francisco and goes to the following:

 

Ketchikan

Sitka

Hubbard Glacier

Valdez

College Fjord

Homer

Anchorage

Kodiak

Tracy Arm

Juneau

Haines

Kake

Wrangell

Vancouver

Port Alberni

Astoria Oregon

 

There are also 4 sea days scattered in there

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[OlsSalt]

For those of you who love the 14-day Explorer Cruise, there’s a new one in 2019 that’s 21 days!

 

It’s on the Maasdam and I think only two or three dates. I booked the June 18th departure. It’s RT San Francisco and goes to the following:

 

Ketchikan

Sitka

Hubbard Glacier

Valdez

College Fjord

Homer

Anchorage

Kodiak

Tracy Arm

Juneau

Haines

Kake

Wrangell

Vancouver

Port Alberni

Astoria Oregon

 

There are also 4 sea days scattered in there

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

This looks like part of the new Maasdam "In-Depth" program cruises - more local enrichment and fewer of the standard cruise activities. The Maasdam recently had Zodiacs installed though we don't yet know when and how they will be used during this new format for HAL small ship cruising. We are going on HAL's very first In-Depth offering Kontiki Explorer - about 28 days -- then she works her way across the Pacific and obviously on up to SF and Alaska. It will be very interesting to see how this new and very welcome format works. We shall be their beta testers.

 

That itinerary looks very good as we loved those smaller, more remote Alaska ports and you get lots of them. RT from SF is dreamy.

[Loreto]

Heads up Karen, we are off next September to try out the very first Maasdam new "In Depth" cruise program from FLL to Papeete - looks like a good one to follow too. Glad you got to Cuba before they stopped going to Havana - that city certainly deserved more than just our one day visit.

 

I can now see why so many of you keep going back Alaska - and it is not for the weather is it? One of the best "getting away" destinations ...from everything. DH got some very lucky shots of a whale's tail, a bear on the beach and baby eagle in nest on one of the dock pilings. Hope I can figure out how to post them.

We love the Maasdam...Ft Lauderdale to Papeete sounds fantastic! We enjoy Alaska because we live in the Mojave Desert and are thrilled to be in a cool, rainy climate. We are on the Prinsendam Amazon Explorer in Nov. 2019 and the last 2 ports are Cienfuegos and Havana...excited to be going back to Cuba.

 

Karen

[PSR]

Thanks for asking again. Yes, I did overlook your requested info. There did not seem to be any fixed schedule to the buses and were readily available, no long waits or over-crowded missed stops. The buses seem to come one after another with little waiting time inbetween - maybe 5-10 minutes?

 

They use school buses and the ladies who drive them are the regular school bus drivers who like getting this extra duty when cruise ships come in. They will offer you some local commentary and answer all your questions. But we also used them at odd times, after the first crush leaving the ship since we walked out to the Spit first and then took the town shuttle later in the day.

 

There are two routes - both leaving from the ship dock area. You will get a map with general directions to the four stops in town which is the fee shuttle.The second separate route is the from the one that is free that simply goes out to the Spit shops and restaurants and back. The Spit itself is the primary tourist destination area.

 

There isn't much to see in Homer town itself, except this is Homer- its homes, shops, facilities and gardens. But even a visit to a TruValue Hardware store at Stop One in this part of the world can be interesting to see what they stock for local needs.

 

And we were very happy to find this NOMAR Alaska clothing store at Stop Three. But it is the Spit that has more concentrated tourist article shops, small local restaurants, bars and cafes and local tour operators. There is a very interesting looking Maritime Center that we missed in town - not near one of the fee bus stops (Stop Four) but looks worthy of checking out ahead of time to see if you can find your way there with a few blocks walking. https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Alaska_Maritime/visit/visitor_center.html

 

It was ...windy/raining ...... by then, so we did not spend too much more time walking around on the downtown route. If you did not arrange any other local tour, I would recommend doing the fee shuttle around the town of Homer itself, as well as having time to visit the Spit. We walked to the Spit shops which loops around the marina - it is long walk and we were happy to take the free shuttle back to the ship. The two routes only intersect for transfers at the ship dock itself.

 

Thank you for replying with excellent details about the 2 shuttle services in Homer! I think people will really appreciate the information that is really not on the shuttle web site. We did get a chance to go to the mentioned maritime center (Islands and Oceans Visitor Center) on our last cruise to Homer on a HAL excursion, and while small, the inside displays were very interesting. Not sure how to get there without a rental car or tour.

 

Penny

[frisbee dog fan]

Thank you for a helpful review. My husband and I have never cruised Holland America, only Princess, but we are looking at the same cruise that you just reviewed. It sounds wonderful. You did not mention the bedding. Were you happy with the mattress and pillows?

[frisbee dog fan]

Whoops, another question as well. As I look at the pictures of available cabins, the ocean view cabins are all pictured with sofa and table. However the description of the cabins does not say table and sofa. Do you know if table and sofa are included with all ocean view cabins, or if that is a special category of cabin?

[Himself]

Thanks fpr your report

[OlsSalt]

Thank you for a helpful review. My husband and I have never cruised Holland America, only Princess, but we are looking at the same cruise that you just reviewed. It sounds wonderful. You did not mention the bedding. Were you happy with the mattress and pillows?

 

Very comfortable mattress and pillows - too many pillows (3 choices) so I pick my favorite and toss the other two on the floor at night. There is a fluffy duvet bed covering that is dreamy to snuggle into at night but can get hot in the wee small hours when one's circadian clock kicks in so I make sure I turn the A/C down before going to bed at night. I believe these items were part of the last dry-dock refurbishments.

 

But HAL ships have long been known for their very comfy beds. (Which is why they got no mention - only the change in the color of the decorative foot of the bed panel from orange and brown hibiscus to this more mottled grey-brown melange to go with the other cabin color decor changes.)

 

I am no fan of cold and rain, so that speaks volumes for me liking this cruise so much anyway. In fact much of the "mood" of Alaska as a total travel experience is now associated with this new version of "cold and rain" - it was a gentle rain - huge difference - one did not have to fight it, only work around it. Until it went away for a while and then snuck back again.

 

We got the hint about this "new" type of rain (for us) from our Seattle port bus driver who said the average rainfall was only 20 inches a year, but they had something like 300 days of "rain" each year. We have that much average rain in Southern Calif (when it does rains) but it comes in far more concentrated and recently dangerous downpours.

[OlsSalt]

Whoops, another question as well. As I look at the pictures of available cabins, the ocean view cabins are all pictured with sofa and table. However the description of the cabins does not say table and sofa. Do you know if table and sofa are included with all ocean view cabins, or if that is a special category of cabin?

 

From our own experience, all HAL cabins have a sofa and some sort of coffee table. We like the layout of HAL cabins - sufficient closet and storage space (for two). The closet area can be curtained off to become a private dressing room between the closets and bathroom - not exactly a "walk-in closet" that other ships offer, but good enough if you want this type of private dressing room space..

 

I don't think there is much difference in the vast majority of ocean view cabins, other than deck location. Though I believe there can be an extra closet in the very lower deck ones, compared to those on the lower promenade deck. We spent 50 days once in a Rotterdam ocean view cabin on one of the lower decks and it worked just fine for two of us.Best part was direct access to the "secret" aft decks for wonderful lounging and happy hours watching the ship's wake as we cruised from London to Singapore.

 

Some cabin tables are now lower fixed-height coffee table level, but other cabin tables have been adjustable for dining level height too - unfortunately those I believe are getting phased out. They had a lever under the table that allowed you to set the height, a bit awkward which is probably why they are getting replaced but it was a nice feature.

 

The cabin sofa can convert to a sleeper, but sometimes it is a smaller, more love-seat size. If the cabin says it can handle up to 4 passengers, I assume it will then have the larger sleeper sofa.

[frisbee dog fan]

Thank you for that quick answer. It makes me even more excited to try this cruise.

[kstrittm]

OlsSalt -- thanks so much for the informative review. I found everything that you said to be extremely helpful! I'll be going on this trip next week and you answered many of the questions that I had. Thanks again -- appreciate your style of writing and the info you presented.:D

[OlsSalt]

OlsSalt -- thanks so much for the informative review. I found everything that you said to be extremely helpful! I'll be going on this trip next week and you answered many of the questions that I had. Thanks again -- appreciate your style of writing and the info you presented.:D

 

Thank you and all the others on this thread for your follow-up comments and questions. I did this quick report while first impressions were still fresh in mind in order to answer all the questions I myself had before the cruise, particularly about the changes to the ship after dry dock. I am happy these comments were also helpful to others.

 

Seeing the fabulous photos others on this cruise are now posting from that same trip demonstrates how spectacular Alaska is this time of the year. Makes one realize any time is a good time for Alaska - that was one of my biggest concerns - were we going too early? But came home thinking the day to day weather just did not matter that much.

 

The residents, birds, animals and plants all adapt to the weather as it comes, so why not Alaska tourists as well? Wonderful cruise.

 

(NB: Dress in Layers - the one remaining unknown - what the heck does that mean to many of us who live in temperate climates. Here is my ultimate version and you only need one combination to have available if/when the temperatures drop :

 

(1) Under layer - silk, wool or thermal - lightweight to medium weight (Washable overnight when necessary)

 

(2) Middile layer: close knit wool sweater(s), thermal vest, wool shirt; waterproof or water resistant pants. Shirt under a sweater allows removal if things get too warm.

 

(3) Outer layer: wind, and rain proof - a two-layer parka, rain coat, jacket. Just a one layer windbreaker was not sufficient on top of the other layers for me, when doing glacier viewing on a boat. Tie-able around the waist if too hot.

 

(4) Accessories of choice: wool scarf, hat, gloves, socks; earmuffs, "ear pops", headband covering ears, umbrella, rain poncho water-proof walking shoes.

 

I personally like silk and wool, esp cashmere wool basics for both superior warmth and very lightweight, but others prefer synthetic thermals for the same reasons.

[Queen of Adventure]

Great review! Thanks for the insight on which way to turn in Sitka :D

 

Do you know if the Raptor Center is walking distance from the Visitor center?

[syesmar]

Chilled Soups

Thank you for sharing about your cruise! Really appreciate the time you took to tell others of your experience. Looking forward to this sailing!

 

You mentioned the loss of cold soups. I know they were a favorite for many passengers. Did they say why the chilled soups have been discontinued?

[OlsSalt]

Chilled Soups

........

You mentioned the loss of cold soups. I know they were a favorite for many passengers. Did they say why the chilled soups have been discontinued?

 

This was explained as a Seattle decision, just like it was explained getting rid of the old blue and gold rimmed plates for something more visually "modern". Chilled soups I guess are now considered too retro for HAL

 

Please ask for them back on the post-cruise evaluation. And for rimmed plates - my biggest complaint in the dining room changes, along with the loss of the chilled soups. (And the boring Gala Night menus.)

 

Have a wonderful cruise and looking forward to your report - this 14 day cruise of Alaska is a real winner. Rain or shine. Going early in the season it taught me weather simply does not matter in Alaska. Alaska itself wins.