HAL Newbies - Alaska Bound on Amsterdam

[DJAM]

Hello all !

 

As the title of this thread states, My wife and I are Alaska bound on our first Holland America cruise. We are very excited and wondering about the HAL experience that awaits us onboard the MS Amsterdam. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions about the ship, ports, excursions, onboard entertainment, or any "must do" things ? :)

[dandro]

That's a pretty tall order there.

 

I would suggest doing as I did when we booked, and that is to look at the HAL site, check out the ship details, it will list all the details along with the venues for dining, entertainment, etc.

At the same time, you can check out the shore excursions on the site, and I would also highly recommend purchasing a book about cruising the area and talks about the different ports and what there is to offer.

 

Also check out the Ports of Call board here on CC, click on the "Alaska" thread, great info. There's also a thread within that has book recommendations.

 

Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

[eh2zed]

Definitely stay on this Board for ship and HAL info but as suggested surf the Alaska Board for port and excursion info.

[DJAM]

Thanks for the guidance. The excursions are so numerous and interesting that it is becoming a difficult decision to make !

[duck tune]

The Amsterdam is a beautiful ship and I'm sure that you will enjoy every day onboard. As for excursions it depends upon your personal interests and whether you want to spend the entire port time on excursion or want to explore the ports. Sitka is a tender port and very quaint with lots to explore. We have never done an excursion there because we just love to wander. Juneau has a great Whale Watching tour and the Mendenhall Glacier is worth seeing. Ketchikan is another port with lots to see by foot as well. I have not heard any negative comments from any fellow cruisers about any HAL excursions. I do think checking out the Alaska port of call thread is great. Oh, in Victoria Buchart Gardens is beautiful! DH and I are leaving for Seattle tomorrow to catch the Zaandam on Friday. Can't wait!

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Bill S]

We are just recently off the Amsterdam (May 16-23), and she is just as nice as ever--it was our 4th cruise on her. During her drydock, the carpeting in all the public areas was replaced. Also, I noticed that the caulking in the our cabin bathroom appeared to be brand new. She remains as one of most favorite ships in the HAL fleet.

We took only one excursion this time, "The Deadliest Catch" trip on the crab boat at Ketchikan. Having done a lot of excursions in Alaska during our prior cruises, we have to rate the crab boat excursion as one of the best. The boat is outfitted with covered, stadium seating, giving everyone a great view of the gear and the action. The crew pulled up several different pots containing dungeness, king, and snow crabs, plus an octopuss. They demonstrated string fishing, too. The highlight was seeing a multitude of bald eagles swooping nearby to fetch fish out of the water.

Although we could not get very close to the Hubbard Glacier this trip due to ice, it is still one impressive glacier and we had a beautiful, albeit chilly day to see it.

I concur with the recommendation to check out the Alaska sub-forum for more excursion recommendations.

Hope this helps!

[DJAM]

Thanks Bill. We were definately thinking of doing that excursion and now we know we should. Heck, I spent enough time watching that show.:D