First HAL cruise - Nieuw Amsterdam Aug 14-21, 2021 - Live from Alaska!

[7seascruising]

Day 1

 

The line for the health screening seemed really long.  In reality, the time from first standing in line to having our documents (boarding pass, vaccine record and negative COVID-19 test) was about 20-30 minutes.  They had about 7 or 8 people doing the screening.  After that, we headed upstairs to actually check in.  That process is super quick.  As long as you've uploaded a security photo already, the system uses facial recognition to identify you and then they scan your passport/license and you're all set.

 

I had a slight problem boarding the ship as the HAL app on my phone decided at the moment I was boarding to log me out.  Grr.  I was able to get on quickly enough, though.

 

Next step was to drop off our luggage in our room and get some lunch.  Keys were/are a bit finicky, but we eventually got in.  We decided to unpack after we ate.  

 

Had lunch at the buffet (I"m sorry, Lido Market).  Definitely not serve yourself, which I'm very happy for.  Lunch was good.  I'm sure it's not going to compare to regular dining, but it was good.

 

Before heading back to unpack, we checked out our Lido deck cabana that we rented for the week.  Very spacious.  When we get to Juneau, I'll upload some pictures, as the internet on the ship is horrible.

 

Unpacking was uneventful, as our luggage arrived when we first got to our room.  My wife and I have an Ocean View room.  Nice room.  Again, pictures to come.  We do have two concerns (besides the finicky keys).  One is it's not as cool as we'd like, but HAL is looking into it.  The other is that when you have some of the closet doors open, it blocks the light from overhead.  That makes a closet made of a dark wood REALLY dark.

 

After setting up our new home for the week, we decided to hang out at Pinnacle Bar where my wife had a Brooklyn, or two and states that they are VERY good.  Since we were already there, the personnel at the bar checked on getting us into our reservation at the Pinnacle Grill early and they were able to accommodate us.  Dinner was awesome.  We sat next to another couple that seems to have cruised to every corner of the globe and then some.  He hope to reach that level some day.

 

Lastly, we hung out at B.B. King's for about 3 hours and listened to some great music and watched many couples dance the night away.

 

So, if you've got this far and feel like I'm complaining, I'm not.  My wife and I have predominately cruised on another cruise line before and we are used to those accommodations. These are just different.  I am very happy to be on a cruise ship to one of the most beautiful destinations in the world and consider myself very lucky to be at a station in life to be able to afford this luxury.  Thanks for reading!

 

Day 2 coming soon!

[CruiseMGM]

Yay! We'll be on next week, so please enjoy and keep us posted on how things go!

[quilty964]

Enjoy your trip to Alaska!

[Loreto]

Where did you get your COVID test,  what kind of paperwork did you get to show to HAL and did they look carefully at all of it?

Thanks,

Karen

[Boytjie]

7 minutes ago, Loreto said:

Where did you get your COVID test,  what kind of paperwork did you get to show to HAL and did they look carefully at all of it?

Thanks,

Karen

Not the OP but we got tested at a drive-through site run by the University of Washington at Bellevue College. They said online reservations were required but there it said walk-up (or rather, drive-ups) were welcome. Tested Wednesday after lunch and results were posted online before 6 am Thursday. We printed the results at our hotel.  

[canadianbear]

Enjoying reading about your trip so far-look forward to more & photos.  Have fun! 

[DeeniEncinitas]

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

First and foremost so happy you are on a BHB!! Everyone of our CCERS who have written about their experiences to Alaska so far have all given a different perspective and insight!!! I will enjoy yours also!

Have a relaxing time with your cabana and let them pamper you! Enjoy!

Denise😊

[Viklynn]

We will be on board Sept 10th so I'm excited to get a preview by reading your updates.  Can't wait for pictures.  This will be our first cruise on Holland and first to Alaska!

[oakridger]

@7seascruising Welcome to Cruise Critic!  Have a wonderful trip and I will be reading along as you find time to post.  

 

Thank you,

~Nancy

[Caribbean Chris]

Enjoying your report - thank you for taking the time to share your observations!

[Lido deck main]

Thank you for posting.  Looking forward to seeing some pictures.   Will be following.

[Loreto]

11 hours ago, Boytjie said:

Not the OP but we got tested at a drive-through site run by the University of Washington at Bellevue College. They said online reservations were required but there it said walk-up (or rather, drive-ups) were welcome. Tested Wednesday after lunch and results were posted online before 6 am Thursday. We printed the results at our hotel.  

Thank you for your reply!  
Karen

[Cruizer Bill]

Sounds like the new testing has delayed boarding 20 to 30 minutes.  We are on the August 28th cruise and just received notice to not show up until 1:20 PM!  Not good!  

[Hogladyrider]

@7seascruising.......following along for sure.

 

After 25+ cruises on Carnival we switched to HAL and we LOVE HAL.

 

Question for you.....BB King's.....are the live bands back on board, we absolutely LOVED them when we sailed HAL out of San Diego before COVID stopped all cruising.

 

Looking forward to reading more of your review!

[12cruise2]

Thank you for your posts and info.  When you're out and about on the ship, I would appreciate knowing if on the promenade deck they have the wooden deck chairs with cushions out and available?  Weather permitting, we enjoy sitting there and enjoying the view, but we haven't been on the NA before.

Thank you so much.

[idiebabe]

7 hours ago, Hogladyrider said:

@7seascruising.......following along for sure.

 

After 25+ cruises on Carnival we switched to HAL and we LOVE HAL.

 

Question for you.....BB King's.....are the live bands back on board, we absolutely LOVED them when we sailed HAL out of San Diego before COVID stopped all cruising.

 

Looking forward to reading more of your review!

Not the OP but we were on July 24th.  Yes, BB King and Billboard are Onboard and excellent.  Also, Lincoln Center!  

[7seascruising]

On 8/15/2021 at 7:31 PM, Loreto said:

Where did you get your COVID test,  what kind of paperwork did you get to show to HAL and did they look carefully at all of it?

Thanks,

Karen

My wife and I got our tests done at Walgreens and our doctor's office on the Wednesday before our Saturday sail.  The staff performing the health checks were able to look on our phones for the results.  They verify where it was done and that it shows as negative.  No hardcopies were necessary.

[7seascruising]

On 8/16/2021 at 5:13 PM, idiebabe said:

Not the OP but we were on July 24th.  Yes, BB King and Billboard are Onboard and excellent.  Also, Lincoln Center!  

We've only been to BB King's, but we agree, the music has been awesome!

[7seascruising]

On 8/16/2021 at 10:00 AM, 12cruise2 said:

Thank you for your posts and info.  When you're out and about on the ship, I would appreciate knowing if on the promenade deck they have the wooden deck chairs with cushions out and available?  Weather permitting, we enjoy sitting there and enjoying the view, but we haven't been on the NA before.

Thank you so much.

Yes, they do have the chairs with cushions out.  Having said that, the roof enclosure has been closed the entire time, making the entire area humid.  Still awesome to be able to get away and enjoy this beautiful scenery.

[12cruise2]

Just now, 7seascruising said:

Yes, they do have the chairs with cushions out.  Having said that, the roof enclosure has been closed the entire time, making the entire area humid.  Still awesome to be able to get away and enjoy this beautiful scenery.

Thank you so much.  Actually, I wasn't specific enough.  I meant chairs on the Promenade Deck.  We prefer that area for the reasons you mention, and it can be noisy by the pool, too humid, and just too many people around.  We like to hear the ship moving through the ocean, have some peace and quiet and view the ocean with fresh air.  We don't book a verandah cabin, obviously!  Again, thank you for the info.

[7seascruising]

So, the internet on this trip is horrible.  I'm not sure if it's the ship or the location or both, but it's practically unusable.  I haven't been able top post any pictures yet, but will when I get a chance.  

 

As an update, this post is being on on Thursday, from Ketchikan.  Sitka was our stop yesterday and even though I had a cell signal, it was almost unusable as well.  I'm an "always connected" kind of person, so this has felt like I lost a limb (I know, dramatic), but it has also allowed me to focus on the beauty around me.

[7seascruising]

4 minutes ago, 12cruise2 said:

Thank you so much.  Actually, I wasn't specific enough.  I meant chairs on the Promenade Deck.  We prefer that area for the reasons you mention, and it can be noisy by the pool, too humid, and just too many people around.  We like to hear the ship moving through the ocean, have some peace and quiet and view the ocean with fresh air.  We don't book a verandah cabin, obviously!  Again, thank you for the info.

Oh, I haven't checked.  Tomorrow's a sea day, so I'll check and respond when I'm back home.

[7seascruising]

View across the top of the Lido deck towards the back of the ship.

[7seascruising]

View of the ship from the dock at Juneau.

Edited August 19, 2021 by 7seascruising

[7seascruising]

On 8/16/2021 at 8:20 AM, Cruizer Bill said:

Sounds like the new testing has delayed boarding 20 to 30 minutes.  We are on the August 28th cruise and just received notice to not show up until 1:20 PM!  Not good!  

Our boarding time bounced all over the place from first booking to final embarkation.  It was 1:40pm at one point, but then it finally settled at 1pm, so it's still possible you might board earlier.  Enjoy your trip!