Back from an Alaskan Cruise-Holland American Lines

[eek40]

Just back from a great cruise-if anyone has any questions feel free to ask. I am typically a DCL only cruiser(the last 7 years or so). This was my first on HAL, great service! And a great kids program too! That was a nice plus for me


Aimee

 

[tvguy]

We cruised HAL the year before our Disney cruise. Loved it. On the Amsterdam to Alaska.
What did you think about how they have tipping set up now?
Do they do the automatic tips now?
I say now, because when we cruised their policy was "no tip is expected because we pay our staff more than other cruise lines". But we tipped anyway.

 

[RoyalVizier]

We would love to do an Alaskan cruise someday... can you share some of the highlights?

 

[eek40]

I was on the Zaandam, it was great! I felt that it moved more than other ships I have been on, but we also had some serious wind (Gale 9-close to 10), and waves up to about 30 ft or more

I thought the tipping thing worked great, its 11 dollars per person per day, I felt that for our cabin of 4 it was about 300 dollars for us total. I liked not having to worry about tipping everyone with cash or adding it in on things. I also felt that it made sure we got great service everywhere on the ship since I hear(I could be wrong) that they share them all.

Aimee

We cruised HAL the year before our Disney cruise. Loved it. On the Amsterdam to Alaska.
What did you think about how they have tipping set up now?
Do they do the automatic tips now?
I say now, because when we cruised their policy was "no tip is expected because we pay our staff more than other cruise lines". But we tipped anyway.

 

[eek40]

Omg....how do I even begin? And are you really sure you want the answer I have this way of being rather..well wordy!

My favorite port was Sitka, so I will start there. We had booked a private wildlife tour with Capt Davey of the Esther G. Sea Taxi. I am not sure if I can give out the website or not, so pm me to be on the safe side. It was nothing short of one of the most magical moments in my lifetime! His joy of Sitka and the sea was infectious. We saw so much and time went by so fast! We did a four hour tour...hmmmm....isnt that a sitcoms old song? We went to this beautiful island.....sigh..I wish I was there now. We saw puffins, muirs(spelling?), and a ton of other birds as well. We saw beautiful Eagles, heard their cries, saw their nests! The best part though was when a grey whale decided to visit our boat! He(she?) circled us a couple of times. I ran back and forth like a crazy person trying to see it, but it was so close I could have touched it! Taking pictures on the open water is a new challenge, and I have a lot of the whale, and of the sea and of the sky! Then it went under us, gently bumped, came up and showed its tail! I felt like I hit the lottery! And I even got that one on the camera He said that Grey whales typically dont show their tail because they are in shallower water than humbacks and orcas. I do not think I will ever forget my excitement and joy at that moment, plus being with the people that I love the most to share it with.

If I was not in dire need of a book called "How To Post Pictures On the Disboards" I would post...but it never works for me. They come out all small and thats if I am lucky! If people want to see I will try to give you a link to my blog or dropshots account to view them. Just ask

Ok..so that being the main highlight....we were supposed to go to Tracy Arm but it was too iced in so we ended up in Endicott. Saw the Dawes glacier, WOW. Cruising past tiny...and huge...icebergs, seeing the mountains covered with green trees, and the numerous waterfalls was amazing! Then to come up to the glacier, woah! Talk about amazing. There were also what seemed to be hundreds of harbor seals, a lot with their pups! SOOOOO cute! Otters as well. Funniest part was dragging my DN(9) out of the pool to see the glacier. She looks, then looks at us adults beaming with joy and said "Did the Captain know this was here? Cause we can't get through here!" Classic nine year old thought!

Juneau and Ketchican were great as well, the gold panning in Juneau was a fun trip! My only complaint with any of the ports was that we did not have enough time to do more Oh...and Victoria...we were late, supposed to be there at 6pm, got there at 7ish and were not cleared until 745pm. That resulted in us not being able to go to the gardens. Oh well next time!

Loved the crew and service, felt that they truely did all they could to make it easy for you. I had no complaints other than the bingo caller not explaining things really well, but that was a one time thing for me after that so it probably saved me money

The ship...its not Disney. I was disappointed with the atruim area, cruising with 2 new cruisers that moment of awe when you walk on the ship was just not there. They made up for it in a lot of different ways however. I also got really turned around on board, not their fault, I think I can get around Wonder and Magic pretty much blindfolded so maybe this was the problem. They had a couple of places that you "couldnt get there from here" got me almost every single trip to the front desk

Room-we had a quad, and it again isnt disney but it was fine and we made it! Even with my difficult mom along..lol. One thing I loved was the amazing amount of storage we had! We took 8 pieces of luggage, plus some other smaller bags, we could fit all of it in 4, and used the last 2 for the empty luggage, then we still had two large drawers under the bed, and an ottoman. Then three drawers by the desk. Bathroom was well layed out and had a tub.

Thermal Suite(like rainforest room but not below decks) was AWESOME. I spent a good amount of time there.

Kids clubs were run well and enjoyed by dn who typically is more shy.

Loved the techspert sessions they offer onboard. This is something DCL should offer. All sorts of tips about photography and blogging, and more.

Ok..if I havent lost you all yet thanks for sticking in there.
Aimee

We would love to do an Alaskan cruise someday... can you share some of the highlights?

 

[RoyalVizier]

Omg....how do I even begin? And are you really sure you want the answer I have this way of being rather..well wordy!

Uh... you've obviously never read one of my trip reports.

The best part though was when a grey whale decided to visit our boat! He(she?) circled us a couple of times. I ran back and forth like a crazy person trying to see it, but it was so close I could have touched it!

Wow! That is amazing!

If I was not in dire need of a book called "How To Post Pictures On the Disboards" I would post...but it never works for me. They come out all small and thats if I am lucky! If people want to see I will try to give you a link to my blog or dropshots account to view them. Just ask

Me! Me! I want to see!

 

[Hayloburger]

We are looking to do an Alaskan cruise next June. What was the weather like? What did pack? Did the ship have an indoor pool? Give us more details, please!!!!!

 

[eek40]

Well...we had an incredibly amazing trip weather wise. So I am not sure I am the one to ask Here is what we experienced.

Seattle-hot hot hot...well it was like 80 but that is hot in a city that doesnt have a ton of ac like Oklahoma City Evening cooled off and was a bit windy, could have used a light jacket.

Cruise day-Seattle-about 70ish, cooler, made for a comfortable life boat drill. warm enough to swim with the rectractable roof open all the way.

First full day at sea...ugh...waves...waves waves...fog...fog..fog. It was about 68 ish though. We couldnt see the water for much of the day, it was that foggy. The fog horn sound makes it hard to sleep on a deck chair..lol. Not that I dont want him blowing his horn to keep us safe

Juneau-about 60ish, dry, beautiful if not a bit on the humid side. Locals were out in shorts. Was fine with shorts and tee shirt. Took jacket just in case.

Sitka-60ish, dry, smooth as glass water-perfect day in so many ways. On the wildlife boat trip we were cold though, we had hats on and jackets and gloves.

Ketchican-60ish, dry(rare), and beautiful again.

Victoria-55ish-humid.

So what I would recommend is layers. If you cruise on HAL-you can get the unlimited laundry package for 45 dollars a cabin(7 nights). This would have cut back about 4 bags for us! We did it and was the best money spent! Fast service, clean, folded, and hung! I keep expecting them to ring the doorbell at my house and hand me a basket of neatly folded clean laundry with tissue paper and a sticker! Apparently they do not provide service in Oklahoma Bring hats, gloves, if you need them they are pricey to buy). Jackets should be water proof if possible, its typically more rainy in June. We were gone the 3rd of June to the 12th of June. Oh and bring bug spray!

On the pool, they had two. One aft, heated, nice in it but man were you cold out of it! One midship that was both in and out. If weather warranted it they opened the roof and when it was cooler they shut it. It was really comfy temp wise, along with two hot tubs midship as well.

Aimee

We are looking to do an Alaskan cruise next June. What was the weather like? What did pack? Did the ship have an indoor pool? Give us more details, please!!!!!

 

[eek40]

ok, dropshots is the easiest. I am working on an better way but until then...this will work.

www.dropshots.com/eek40

The first one is a panoramic from capt Daveys boat, then there are some highlights of a few days.
Aimee

Uh... you've obviously never read one of my trip reports.



Wow! That is amazing!



Me! Me! I want to see!

 

[tvguy]

One of my favorite cruise photos is on the Amsterdam, in the outdoor pool at the very back of the ship, all 4 of us in the pool, steam rising up, and the Hubbard Glacier in the background.

 

[eek40]

That would be cool! I was too busy with the camera to get in the pool

One of my favorite cruise photos is on the Amsterdam, in the outdoor pool at the very back of the ship, all 4 of us in the pool, steam rising up, and the Hubbard Glacier in the background.

 

[MMitchell29]

thanks eek40 after reading your trip report I realized that I don't want to be one of those folks that cruise the same ship 5,10,or 20 times so it is very nice to hear that Disney is not the only cruise line where one can have an awesome time. Don't get me wrong i've never cruised with disney yet but we have a 4 day disney cruise planned for Oct.25 and I pray that it will be as great as the folks on here say it will but it is very nice to hear that there are other cruise line that are just as nice also

 

[eek40]

I have sailed others, then I kind of stuck with Disney. It is a special line. I would however try just about any ship, this trip was based on where it was going. HAL was great, the service matched that of Disney. Disney does have some special touches that I missed though You will have a great cruise!
Aimee

thanks eek40 after reading your trip report I realized that I don't want to be one of those folks that cruise the same ship 5,10,or 20 times so it is very nice to hear that Disney is not the only cruise line where one can have an awesome time. Don't get me wrong i've never cruised with disney yet but we have a 4 day disney cruise planned for Oct.25 and I pray that it will be as great as the folks on here say it will but it is very nice to hear that there are other cruise line that are just as nice also

 

[jns]

Thanks for sharing
alway want to do an Alaskan cruise most look more into this

 

[frdeb1999]

Thanks for sharing! Your pictures were beautiful!

 

[Hayloburger]

thank you for your details about the weather! I love the specifics! Good Job! Okay, one more questions....for coats, would those Lands End waterproof jackets work (and then just put a sweater under if it was cold?)?

You are getting me excited about Alaska.....I usually want to cruise to the warm warm islands, but I might me able to tear myself away from the beach for one season!

Thanks for feedback!

 

[eek40]

Yes the Lands End ones would be great.

Seriously its worth giving up the warm islands to visit! It just takes your breath away. I have seen pictures but it does not compare to what you see with your eyes. The beauty of those icebergs and glaciers, waterfalls, the sound! So quiet! When we were in the arm there was a part where you could hear the ice cracking! Amazing and worth the trip!
Aimee

thank you for your details about the weather! I love the specifics! Good Job! Okay, one more questions....for coats, would those Lands End waterproof jackets work (and then just put a sweater under if it was cold?)?

You are getting me excited about Alaska.....I usually want to cruise to the warm warm islands, but I might me able to tear myself away from the beach for one season!

Thanks for feedback!

 

[KristiP]

My husband and I are going in August . We are going on the Amsterdam, I can not wait. Just the two of us for our 10 year Annv.

 

[my3m]

Wanna see your pictures too please. Send me the link.

 

[eek40]

go to www.dropshots.com/eek40

Its the ones from June 5th to the 12th,

Wanna see your pictures too please. Send me the link.