Live Blogging from Veendam in Alaska May 30 - June 7

[simon95]

Avis Rents an Impala with full insurance coverage for $168 .Plus Gas. I wonder if the price difference is the ferry cost from Haines to Skagway. Do you remember the cost of that ferry . Sorry to be so persistent but for four people it adds up . Thanks for all your help .

[judynorth]

Avis Rents an Impala with full insurance coverage for $168 .Plus Gas. I wonder if the price difference is the ferry cost from Haines to Skagway. Do you remember the cost of that ferry . Sorry to be so persistent but for four people it adds up . Thanks for all your help .

 

The train trip in your previous post is the one that only goes to the train station and then returns to Skagway. The most beautiful scenery is beyond where the train stops. Will you be docking in Haines? There are some wonderful excursions there. We did the Eagle Preserve Float Adventure last year through HAL. It was a wonderful excursion and the scenery was beautiful - not as good as in the Yukon but still beautiful.

[emptynest50]

thanks so much for all the information...we will be on Celebrity in July - your information is helping us plan our days!!!

[writerhenn]

Erica..what about internet access aboard the ship? Is there a problem if you have your own laptop? Obviously you were able to file...and this is going to be important for one member of our travel party to maintain contact. Thanks for all your input.

[wander]

Car-Motorcoach-train? Each can be beautiful and interesting IF the weather cooperates. If it does not - all are equally impacted.

 

I personally prefer the train, as I love historic trains and historic train routes and the scenery is spectacular by ALL 3 travel modes.

 

As pointed out previously, the ADVANTAGE of the car (IMHO) is that you can stop as you wish, well, as you wish AND road conditions allow. Stopping at many places on the highway would not be advisable. However, there are safe places and scenic areas. The DISADVANTAGE of the car (IMHO) is that one person does not get the full advantage of the scenery as they would on the bus or train. In terms of scenery, I would not want miss one minute of looking at it while the driver best not spend any time looking at it (scenery) while moving. Just my opinion.

 

I have taken the train several times. Originally I took it much further north than it routinely goes now. While the further north scenery was spectacular I disagree with the previous poster - I do not think it any better than what you now see, just maybe different. (Oh and the lunch at Lake Bennett was a great one.)

[avesmawmaw]

Hi I asked earlier but I know you have been busy Were you able to find out any info about Renewals if they do them on a formal or noformal night or being at sea or an at port day. Thanks for all the great info.

[iceburg1]

Hi,

 

Thanks for all your great info. Do you know whether a blazer and slacks is ok for formal night? I hate wearing a tux or dark suit. Thanks.

[Sillyjilly]

Hi,

 

Thanks for all your great info. Do you know whether a blazer and slacks is ok for formal night? I hate wearing a tux or dark suit. Thanks.

 

Awesome picture!

 

I believe it's okay, but you need to wear a tie.

[elvo73]

Thank you Erica for your review. I was at the Veendam as well this past week and I agree, we had a wonderful weather. For those with questions about children, I will be more than happy to help you, I was traveling with my 2 DDs, one is 13 months and the other one is almost 5.

We had a great time, we're not experienced cruisers (this one is number 3) but one think I can said is that I really liked Holland America, my other cruises were with Carnival cruising the caribbean and this one was more quiet, less people, everybody seems very cordial and helpful.

Erica, I wasn't able to meet you in person but I appreciate all your posts:)

[jeffro99518]

hi all--

 

I live in anchorage, aK.. I went on a cruise 2 weeks ago to the caribean, and had a great time. On a blog i was talking to someone who lives in st thomas and they told me many great thing to do there, and because of this that was our best trip ever. So, with this in mind if anyone has any anchorage/whittier questions they would like to ask-go right ahead and i will return the favor that was given to me. Feel free to e-mail me at jeffro99518@yahoo.com I have lived here for 14 years now--so i will answer the questions as best as i can. Happy cruising!!!

 

JEFF

[judynorth]

hi all--

 

I live in anchorage, aK.. I went on a cruise 2 weeks ago to the caribean, and had a great time. On a blog i was talking to someone who lives in st thomas and they told me many great thing to do there, and because of this that was our best trip ever. So, with this in mind if anyone has any anchorage/whittier questions they would like to ask-go right ahead and i will return the favor that was given to me. Feel free to e-mail me at jeffro99518@yahoo.com I have lived here for 14 years now--so i will answer the questions as best as i can. Happy cruising!!!

 

JEFF

 

Welcome to CC. If you post this as a new thread I am sure that you will be inundated with questions!

[DoggyDaddy]

We will be ending our land portion of our trip in Anchorage on July 4th. We will be staying at the Westmark arriving around 8PM and leaving for Seward the next morning. Will there be any holiday festivities going on that night? Will there b e anything open other than restaurants?

[Erica@cruisecritic]

Hi I asked earlier but I know you have been busy Were you able to find out any info about Renewals if they do them on a formal or noformal night or being at sea or an at port day. Thanks for all the great info.

 

The vow renewals on my cruise took place on the second formal night because a woman in a wedding dress was dancing with us in the Crow's Nest. I will try and find out if there's a set night on each cruise -- my hunch is that it would be a formal night.

[Erica@cruisecritic]

We will be ending our land portion of our trip in Anchorage on July 4th. We will be staying at the Westmark arriving around 8PM and leaving for Seward the next morning. Will there be any holiday festivities going on that night? Will there b e anything open other than restaurants?

 

Your best bet would be talk to someone in Anchorage about this. Here's a link to the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau's calendar of events: http://www.anchorage.net/events.html?eventid=20537

 

You could also contact them to ask about what's open or not.

[Erica@cruisecritic]

Hi,

 

Thanks for all your great info. Do you know whether a blazer and slacks is ok for formal night? I hate wearing a tux or dark suit. Thanks.

 

From Holland America's Web site: "On festive Formal evenings, ladies usually wear a suit, cocktail dress or gown and gentlemen wear a jacket and tie, dark suit or tuxedo. There are approximately two formal nights per week."

 

In Alaska, no one seems to get sent out of the dining room for being a little more casual than code. I wouldn't wear jeans on formal night but as long as you have nice slacks and a blazer (bring a tie just in case), I'm sure it will be fine.

[Erica@cruisecritic]

Erica..what about internet access aboard the ship? Is there a problem if you have your own laptop? Obviously you were able to file...and this is going to be important for one member of our travel party to maintain contact. Thanks for all your input.

 

Veendam technically has WiFi, but no one I talked to could access it in their cabins. I routinely took my laptop up to the Explorations Cafe or the Explorers Lounge just opposite where I could get a signal. Occasionally, the signal was nonexistant or the connection was very slow on sea days when mountains could block the signal.

 

I definitely recommend using Internet in port, where it's cheaper though not always faster. I bought a card at Seaport Cyber for $6 for an hour of Internet -- they have locations in all three ports so I used half the time in Ketchikan and the other half in Skagway.

[Erica@cruisecritic]

Just to help clarify, the $122 White Pass railway excursion is the 2.5 - 3 hour trip. The full eight-hour trip costs $194 and is called the Ultimate Yukon and White Pass Railroad tour, and the price includes lunch. There are also options to take the train part-way and then go kayaking, biking or gold-panning.

[Erica@cruisecritic]

A couple of members have mentioned bringing kids and teens on HAL. Veendam actually has great kids' facilities, including playrooms for younger children and the Loft and Oasis indoor and outdoor teen hangouts. The Oasis is actually pretty cool -- it's an out-of-the-way deck with hammocks, splash pools with waterfalls, and tables and chairs made to look like wine barrels. It's got a pirate chic feel. And even better for kids, parents aren't allowed (although the area is supervised by the ship's youth counselors).

The great thing about Veendam's kids' lounges is that they're situated in a hard-to-find area of the ship. So the kids feel they have their own enclave and HAL guests without kids don't feel the presence of so many children.

In general, Holland America does not get as many kids in Alaska as lines like Carnival or Royal Caribbean. During the height of summer, Veendam will have around 200 children onboard. To compare, my cruise had fewer than 100, with the number of kids reaching the 100 mark on the next northbound trip out of Vancouver. Bigger ships, like Westerdam sailing from Seattle, can get up to 300 or 400 under-18s.

Bar areas like the Mix and Crow's Nest are supposed to be 18+ but children are allowed in if supervised by an adult. For example, I saw several kids watching Veendam's version of American Idol in the Crow's Nest on one of the early nights of the cruise. The rules are also relaxed when there aren't so many kids onboard and the teen hangouts are pretty empty. The goal is to keep teens from taking over adult venues -- especially ones where alcohol is served -- but not to force them away from their families and fun activities.

Veendam isn't the most family-friendly cruise ship out there, but kids can have a good time if they're happy with the youth programming and hangouts, or are willing to spend most of their time with their families, playing board games or ping pong, enjoying the pool (a retractable roof covers the main pool in inclement weather), or watching movies onboard. You won't find rock-climbing walls, burger joints or waterslides here, but kids still should have a good time.

[Erica@cruisecritic]

Also on the kids theme, I think young children and teens would very much enjoy Alaska. Between active tours and wildlife spotting, the ports offer a lot of kid-friendly activities.

 

Here are my suggestions for tours I think would be great for kids (note to parents: I don't have children, and only you can know your child's interests).

 

Ketchikan: Kids ages five and up can do the Bear Creek Zipline Adventure; you must be 12 to do the Rain Forest Canopy & Zipline Expedition. Kayaking tours take kids eight years old and up, and teens over 14 can do the Wilderness Hike and Jet Boat Expedition. The Duck Tour might be fun for younger kids.

 

Juneau: Families with large budgets would probably enjoy a dogsled ride and the helicopter flight that goes with it. Any of the whale watching trips would be fun, especially as people raved about the wildlife they saw. The zipline here has a minimum age of 12, but kids 6 and up can go sea kayaking.

 

Skagway: I wouldn't recommend taking your kids on a scenic railway trip, unless you have an active destination in mind. I don't think I can sit still for 8 hours! Instead, try the Yukon Jeep Adventure where groups of four drive off-road in the Yukon (minimum age is 5, but one of you must be 25 to drive). The Yukon Saddle & Paddle Adventure combines horse-back riding with canoeing, and the minimum age is 13. The Glacier Point Wilderness Safari has no age minimum and my excursion booklet says it's the "#1 rated tour." I was calling it the Alaska cruise triathalon as it involves a catamaran ride, nature walk and canoe ride to a glacier -- all to see wildlife and experience the Alaskan wilderness.

[DoggyDaddy]

Erica,

 

We are curious as what the various experiences you might have had for breakfast and/or lunches, especially in the dining room and lido. Are there other options for lunch, such as a burger/pizza bar?

 

What did you or others do on the nights while in port where the excursions may have extended past the normal dining hour (we have the early dining reservations)? Were the selections at the lido the same as the dining room - I have heard that they were, and were not? :confused:

 

Just curious - how do you rate your Veendam cruise with your other cruises (I expect you have been on many cruises)?

 

 

DoggyDaddy

[Erica@cruisecritic]

Erica,

 

We are curious as what the various experiences you might have had for breakfast and/or lunches, especially in the dining room and lido. Are there other options for lunch, such as a burger/pizza bar?

 

What did you or others do on the nights while in port where the excursions may have extended past the normal dining hour (we have the early dining reservations)? Were the selections at the lido the same as the dining room - I have heard that they were, and were not? :confused:

 

Just curious - how do you rate your Veendam cruise with your other cruises (I expect you have been on many cruises)?

 

 

DoggyDaddy

 

Hi DoggyDaddy (love that name!),

 

I either ate breakfast in the Lido or got room service. I eat pretty simple breakfasts and don't want to spend a lot of time on them, so I never bothered with the dining room. The Lido can get a bit crowded, and there are waits for hot food and omelettes, since the staff serves them to you. I usually grabbed cereal, fruit and/or a muffin, which was fast.

 

Lunch options include the Rotterdam dining room, Pinnacle Grill (on sea days only, I believe), Lido, pizza, grill and room service. On the last day there was a salmon bake by the pool. I got pizza several times for lunch -- it's pretty good and service was fast. The Lido was hit or miss, and often I opted for the salad in a bid to be healthy, which was quickly done in by my addiction to Veendam's chocolate-chip cookies, which are always around. The sandwich station at the Lido is quite good, but I found that not all the hot food stations would be constantly manned, so sometimes you had to look around for someone to serve you.

 

I was on the open seating dining plan and never had a late excursion. I would assume that if you miss your dinner hour, you'll have to eat in the Lido, dine on shore or get room service. The Lido dinner has some of the same choices as the Rotterdam, but the menus are not identical. There are options on each menu that are not on the other.

[kimba45]

Thanks Erica for elaborating on the children aspects of Veendam. I called Holland and found that there will be roughly 89 children between the north/south cruise for July 12, 2009. This number seems perfect for potential friend making for my seven year old boy.........he is very excited about the trip as we are doing criuse/tour 19 and have meals included......between all the ports and the land portion we will get in our/his favorite adventures from whale watching, hiking, train riding, ziplining, fishing, rafting/canoeing, and just enjoying the nature that Alaska offers...your kindness of explaining the Veendam particulars are very helpful for us to "familiarize" with the specifics for our trip.....Have a great summer and have fun writing...........The Wrights

[Erica@cruisecritic]

DoggyDaddy asked how Veendam stacks up against other cruises I've been on. It's hard to compare across lines and destinations, but here are some of my final thoughts on Veendam.

Food: Veendam's food was much better than on my Westerdam cruise two years ago in Europe. I don't know if this is because HAL's food has improved in quality or whether the Alaska menus, with their abundance of well-prepared salmon dishes, suited my tastes. The Pinnacle Grill is definitely worth the fee, and Canaletto is a fabulous free option that cruisers hadn't quite discovered on my cruise (DoggyDaddy, forgot to mention you could make reservations at Canaletto on your late excursion day). I don't think the ship serves the most incredible food I've ever eaten, but it also didn't make me dread going to dinner.

Cabins: I very much like Veendam's new, more subtle cabin décor. The new cabin categories (spa cabins, lanai cabins and aft balcony cabins) really give passengers on this older ship more stateroom options. And I'm a big fan of tubs in the bathrooms because you have more space to shower and the option of taking a bath. However, I found my lanai cabin to be a bit cramped, and wished there were a few more storage options. Also, instead of fluffy duvets, Veendam employs a blanket hidden inside two sheets -- the line could have upgraded that aspect of the bedding. And I did get the A/C in my cabin to function properly after mentioning it to one of the stewards. But definitely don't book the cabins just outside the laundry rooms -- those facilities are available 24/7 and people are not quiet, nor do they close the door, when they're washing their clothes early in the morning.

Nightlife: Nightlife is not HAL's strong suit, but I enjoyed the Crow's Nest -- the late-night disco that actually had late-night activity -- and the piano bar in the Mix, even though the pianist never seemed to know any of the requested songs. The casino also seemed to bustle, at least until midnight. The Ocean Bar was great for early-evening ballroom dancing, but shut down early. Veendam is probably not the best ship for party animals, but compared to my last cruise on HAL, it was positively rocking! I thought the new Showroom at Sea shows had both negatives and positives. On the one hand, the singers were clearly of a higher caliber than most onboard performers. On the other, the shows themselves had stilted dialogue and superfluous dancers that performed at a level well below the singers; they also forced the singers out of their vocal comfort (such as the operatic tenor attempting to sing Broadway and doo wop with little success).

Service: Veendam could step up a notch or two in this area, and it's unclear how much the iffy service is the result of crewmembers getting used to the new layout and additional guests. For the most part, my cabin stewards were great and I saw them more than I saw my so-called butler on Azamara Quest. I also had great waiters in Rotterdam and Canaletto, who went above and beyond simple order taking and food delivery. However, Lido service was spotty, often causing lines because the serving stations weren't fully manned. Room service either got our orders wrong (forgetting our beverages one morning) or brought the food too early (at 6:45 a.m. when I selected the 7 - 7:30 a.m. range). The coffee bar in the Explorations Café had the slowest service I've ever seen, which isn't good when people need their morning coffee.

Activities: Veendam is one of the first ships to employ HAL's new activities program, which is broken down into Explorations (presentations on Alaska and ports), Culinary Arts (cooking demos, classes on entertaining, wine tastings), Digital Workshops (courses on photo editing, blogging, etc.) and Mind-Body-Spirit (fitness classes, lectures on wellness, trivia). The computer classes get rave reviews from technology novices (classes are very basic) and the Tai Chi got a great turnout. However, many of the wellness and entertaining classes seemed very fluffy (I attended one on tea drinking, and it was at the level of "some people like to steep their tea for a long time while others like it weak"). The program, which is definitely aimed at the more mature traveler, has some great ideas but definitely needs to work out some of the kinks. I was too busy blogging or watching the scenery on sea days to take part in many daytime activities, and I get the sense that they're not the focus of an Alaska cruise.

All in all, I enjoyed my Veendam cruise, though I'm pretty easy to please. And I think the ship experience will only get better as crewmembers get into a routine post-dry dock and issues are brought to attention and resolved.

[DoggyDaddy]

Erica,

 

We would like to thank you for your honest review of your cruise - It is especially relevant for us as we are taking the HAL cruise-tour starting July 1 with the Veendam on July 5 from Seward.

 

If you don't mind, we just have a few more questions:

 

1. I don't know what time the cruise thru the College Fjord was, but ours is starting at 6:30 AM. Does the ship provide both sides with fairly equal vewing opportunities, or should we be on one side of the ship. We have a Balcony Veranda so might do some of the viewing in our PJ's with a nice hot cup of coffee.:D If the viewing is better on the bow of the ship, we will get up early and hopfully not freeze or drown. How was the weather during your trip to College Fjord?

 

2. Are the entertainment shows shown once or twice per night, and when are they? We have the early seating, so we can see an 8:00 show, but what about the late diners?

 

 

Thanks again,

 

 

Doggy Daddy

[Erica@cruisecritic]

Erica,

 

We would like to thank you for your honest review of your cruise - It is especially relevant for us as we are taking the HAL cruise-tour starting July 1 with the Veendam on July 5 from Seward.

 

If you don't mind, we just have a few more questions:

 

1. I don't know what time the cruise thru the College Fjord was, but ours is starting at 6:30 AM. Does the ship provide both sides with fairly equal vewing opportunities, or should we be on one side of the ship. We have a Balcony Veranda so might do some of the viewing in our PJ's with a nice hot cup of coffee.:D If the viewing is better on the bow of the ship, we will get up early and hopfully not freeze or drown. How was the weather during your trip to College Fjord?

 

2. Are the entertainment shows shown once or twice per night, and when are they? We have the early seating, so we can see an 8:00 show, but what about the late diners?

 

Sure, anytime! Glad to be helpful.

 

To answer your questions:

 

1. Your cruise is southbound so you'll hit the sights at different times than my northbound cruise. We were in College Fjord in the evening. The timing was bad so I had to get ready for dinner during our visit to the fjord. There are two glaciers at the end of the fjord (Harvard and Yale) so I thought the Deck 7 bow (accessible from stairways on Deck 6 Promenade Deck) or any of the outdoor bow decks was a good place to be to see both. If you're on the port side, you'll be fine on the balcony as the bigger glacier is on that side; if you're on the starboard side, you won't get the better view until the ship turns around. Same with Glacier Bay, and in that case the one single glacier is to the left/port side coming in.

 

2. Shows are at 8 and 10 p.m. I wasn't impressed with the sightlines in the theater so consider arriving early to get the best seats (I thought the last row of banquette seats in the downstairs section was ideal). The best show I saw was Encore! The Bob Mackie's Broadway show was occasionally painful -- but it depends on your tastes, I suppose.